Wates rounds off record retail year with Glasgow M&S renovation

Wates has completed the fit-out of Marks & Spencer’s (M&S) store in Bishopbriggs, a transformation that brings Wates’ total 2023 portfolio to 76,500 sq ft of completed projects on behalf of M&S.

The fit-out of the new Bishopbriggs store saw the Wates team work around the clock to deliver the project in just five weeks, with a three-week closure.

Launched to customers in time for Christmas trading, the new 12,500 sq ft foodhall forms part of M&S’s wider strategy to transform its estate, bringing theatre to the shopping experience in response to changing retail trends.

Wates’ completion of the Bishopbriggs project brings to a close a record year for the fit-out specialists, having delivered a number of high profile store transformations as part of M&S’s £500m investment.

This also includes a 15,000 sq ft foodhall in Uckfield and a number of foodhalls and full-line stores where work will continue into 2024.

Wates’ work for M&S in 2023 builds on its long-standing relationship with the retailer, which spans two decades and includes the delivery of nearly 300 fit-out projects across the UK. This includes 50 projects through the retailer’s Foodhall Framework, established in 2014.

Scott Camp, Managing Director of Wates fit-out and refurbishment business, said: “M&S is not only transforming its stores, it is transforming the shopping experience for its customers and we are very excited to be on that journey with them. Every store fit-out has its own complexities, but the breadth of our experience in retail and the extent of our work for M&S means that we can adapt our fit-out strategy to each store.

“Whether this means constructing temporary spaces, working round-the-clock or doubling our resource; we are delivering to a fast-tracked schedule to create the magic of M&S’s reimagined stores with minimal disruption to customers.”