From its start as a market stall in Cardiff in 1895, M&S has grown into a well-loved retailer in Wales. The journey began with market stalls in Swansea (1902) and Newport (1908), later becoming bigger department stores in places like Cardiff and Swansea in 1932, and Rhyl, Wrexham, and Llandudno in 1936. This shows how popular M&S was getting with Welsh shoppers. Today, M&S has 22 of its stores in Wales, including 12 full-line and 9 food stores, plus 26 franchise stores.
Recent store updates in Cardiff, Culverhouse Cross, and Llandudno in 2022 show that M&S keeps investing in the area and wants to give customers a modern and fun shopping experience. M&S is proud to have over 2,500 employees in the region and has led the way in using the Welsh language at work. In 1993, Cardiff staff tried out a way to include Welsh in daily work, joining the UK government’s ‘Welsh in the Workplace’ campaign. This encouraged things like staff using Welsh when serving customers.
M&S stores in Wales have been led by Allison Jenkins, Regional Manager in South Wales, and David Hughes, Regional Manager in North Wales. Both bring local knowledge and passion to their jobs. “We’re so proud to celebrate 130 years in Wales. This shows how loyal our local customers are and how dedicated our colleagues are,” said Allison Jenkins. “Our teams are excited to keep offering great quality and value to our customers in Wales while supporting our Welsh suppliers.”
As M&S reached this milestone, it celebrated its Welsh producers and suppliers during Welsh Food Fortnight in 2024. This included showing off its sourdough loaves and baguettes, made to a special recipe at the award-winning village bakery in North Wales, run by third-generation bakers Robin and Christen Jones.
“As we celebrate, we’re not only looking back but also forward. Wales has some amazing food producers, and we love showing off their quality,” said David Hughes.“From the 2,500 Select Farmers we work with in Wales, to the great selection of products from Welsh suppliers, we’re excited to bring the best of Wales to M&S customers across the UK.”
