Marks and Spencer has reopened its refurbished Oxford Street flagship in London, now trading as Pantheon, following a major redesign across four floors and nearly 100,000 sq ft of retail space that the retailer is positioning as the template for future store refurbishments across its UK estate.

The Irish News reports that the revamped store brings together food, fashion, home and beauty sections under one roof, with new features including a made-to-order suit fitting service within the menswear section and a dedicated beauty hall showcasing own-label ranges and third-party brands.

An expanded homeware section includes a Kelly Hoppen range displayed within an area designed by the interior designer and television personality. M&S has also introduced digital screens showing outfit inspiration, bespoke scents and curated playlists as part of a broader effort to elevate the in-store shopping experience beyond product selection alone.

"This is a good example of our strategy to protect the magic and modernise the rest, holding on to the quality, style and value people know and trust us for, while making the experience more modern," said Stuart Machin, Chief Executive of M&S. "We've still got a lot to do modernising our estate, with 25 years of catching up to do. But Pantheon is a big step forward."

The Pantheon opening forms part of an active period of retail investment for M&S, which is currently undertaking five further refurbishments and four new store developments in London, alongside additional openings and renewals across the wider UK network.

Among the most significant pipeline projects is a major redevelopment of the retailer's Marble Arch store, also on Oxford Street, following government approval in 2024 to demolish and rebuild the site after a three-year planning process. The proposed nine-storey development would incorporate retail space, a café, a gym and an office, significantly expanding the retailer's presence at one of London's most prominent commercial addresses.

The scale and ambition of M&S's current refurbishment programme reflects a broader shift among major UK retailers towards investing heavily in physical store experience as a means of driving footfall and differentiating from online competition.