Marks and Spencer Reopening Likely to Be in December


Retailer adamant 'autumn' relaunch will be before Christmas

The promise on the hoardings relies on an astronomical definition of the seasons
The promise on the hoardings relies on an astronomical definition of the seasons

July 29, 2025

Marks and Spencer has confirmed that its Chiswick branch will not be opening until December but remains adamant that it will be trading before Christmas.

The company stated in the licensing application for the new expanded premises that the store was going to reopen in December. This is later than originally expected with staff having earlier told customers that the branch would relaunch in November.

It was suggested by those with knowledge of the building that the removal of asbestos could be a complicating factor in the project, but Marks and Spencer did not respond to our request for a comment on this matter.

The licence variation, if granted, will cover the whole of the expanded premises from 230 to 244 Chiswick High Road and run every day from 6am to 11pm. The previous licence was for 7am to 11pm but the application states these are not the intended opening hours for the store but allow for flexibility in extending hours around Christmas and New Year.

A spokesperson for the company said it was ‘definitely still on track’ for an early December opening. Whether this contradicts the claim currently on the hoarding outside the store which states “Your new and improved store opens Autumn 2005” depends on whether you are using the meteorological or astronomical method of determining seasons. For the former, which is used by the Met Office, autumn ends on 1 December but the astronomical method puts the start of winter at 21 December which means, if the refurbished store opens before Christmas, it can still claim to have met its target.

The licensing application also provides a more detailed layout of the store that has been available before which seems to confirm previous reports that the café/bakery will be on the left as you enter from the High Road with the tills and self-serve checkouts on the right.

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