M&S reveals plan for new Ipswich out-of-town store

This is what the new M&S store at Copdock could look like if planning permission is granted

Marks & Spencer (M&S) has announced plans to open a new store on the outskirts of Ipswich - while keeping its other branches in the town open.

Subject to planning permission, M&S hopes to open a 60,000-sq-ft (5574-sq-m) "show-stopping" food and clothing store at the Copdock Interchange, which it estimates will create more than 90 jobs.

It would "sit alongside" the retailer's existing outlets on Westgate Street, in the town centre, at Martlesham Heath Retail Park and at Ipswich Hospital, where there is an M&S convenience store.

Ipswich Borough Council leader Neil MacDonald welcomed the announcement, saying the investment would have a "positive impact".

Earlier this year, M&S had been in talks to take over the former Toys R Us store at the Copdock Interchange.

"At the Copdock site, we have a unique opportunity to create a brand-defining M&S store in Ipswich alongside our existing Westgate Street presence," said Will Smith, M&S property director.

He added: "The show-stopping store, offering food, clothing and beauty, would be one of the most modern in the UK and create over 90 new jobs."

M&S says it will will keep its Ipswich town centre branch open

MacDonald, a Labour councillor who represents St John's, said: "The impact on Ipswich can only be positive – millions of pounds of investment from a national retailer delivering almost a hundred new jobs and supporting the Suffolk supply chain is a real coup in this economy."

Matthew Hicks, the Conservative leader of Suffolk County Council, said: "We fully support this deal with M&S because it retains their long-standing presence in the town centre whilst also breathing new life into a very visible entrance to Ipswich that has lain vacant for so long."