Major blow as M&S in Waterlooville closes cafe to create larger foodhall
Major blow to M&S customers as the supermarket giant confirms a busy on-site cafe will close to make room for a larger foodhall.
However despite this, a number of on-site cafes have closed down in recent months including venues in Crawley, Dunblane, Stirling and Congleton.
Rebecca Rabadia, Regional Manager at M&S, said: “We know many of our customers want to be able to shop a wider range of M&S Food.
“That’s why after reviewing our Waterlooville store, we are re-purposing the café space next month to offer even more delicious products, including more Select Farms produce.
“We understand this will be disappointing news for some of our customers, however our team will continue working hard to serve them in-store.”
Between November 2025 and March 2026, 20 new or renewed M&S stores are set to open as part of the chain’s growth, creating 800 jobs.
In an updated brochure of requirements, M&S has outlined that all new sites will need to be 21,500 + sqft, in a highly visible location with easy access to major roads and it will need to have dedicated parking.
A list of 500 potential locations has been published with multiple Hampshire sites featured including Portsmouth, Waterlooville, Bishops Waltham, Locks Heath/Fareham, Chandler’s Ford, Basingstoke, Fleet, Hook and Petersfield.
Alex Freudmann, managing director of M&S Food, previously said:“ The strong performance of our new M&S food stores gives us the confidence to explore even more locations across the UK, from Elgin to Exmouth.
“Our team want new sites where we could open a large M&S Food store as we deliver on our strategy to bring the right stores to the right places and offer the best shopping experience, range and availability for our customers.”