Marks & Spencer’s Largest Food Store Outside the UK to Open in Dubai
Al-Futtaim Group has announced that British retailer Marks & Spencer will open its largest food store outside the UK at Dubai Festival City in December 2026. Spanning about 1,424 square metres, the store will offer the brand’s full food range outside the UK for the first time.
Operating as M&S Foodhall, the 15,327-square-foot store will allow customers to shop for a wide range of everyday food products in one location.
According to Al-Futtaim Group, the store will stock more than 3,500 core Marks & Spencer products alongside 500 locally sourced items.
The range will be supplied by more than 200 British suppliers and a network of local suppliers. It will include fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and other protein products, baked goods, everyday groceries, ready meals and other popular items from the brand.
The store aims to meet most customers’ daily and weekly grocery needs in one place, eliminating the need to visit multiple retailers.
Fresh Flowers and the Middle East’s First M&S Patisserie to Launch
In addition to food products, the new Marks & Spencer store in Dubai will introduce several new sections, some of which will be offered in the brand’s international markets for the first time.
These will include Marks & Spencer fresh flowers, available to customers outside the UK for the first time.
The store will also launch M&S Patisserie, Marks & Spencer’s first dedicated pastry and dessert section in the Middle East.
Other features will include a dedicated Fruit Butcher service for preparing and cutting fruit, a sushi counter, a rotisserie chicken section, a coffee shop and a pizza oven.
The store will also feature new food service concepts and offerings not previously available across Marks & Spencer’s retail network.
Officials said the new features aim to deliver a distinctive grocery shopping experience and provide customers with a wider range of options.
Marks & Spencer and Al-Futtaim Partner to Expand in the UAE
Wassim Arabi, President of Retail at Al-Futtaim Group, said the new store would provide customers with a distinctive and more advanced grocery shopping experience.
He said combining the quality and reputation of Marks & Spencer food products with Al-Futtaim Group’s local market expertise and operational capabilities would set a new standard for the UAE’s grocery retail sector.
Al-Futtaim Group’s partnership with Marks & Spencer began in 1997 and has helped expand the British brand’s regional operations over nearly three decades.
The new Dubai Festival City store will open as part of the partners’ continued expansion and efforts to strengthen Marks & Spencer’s presence in the UAE food market.
British Brand Expands Presence in Dubai’s Food Market
Mark Lemming, CEO of Marks & Spencer International, said the company’s goal in opening the store is to bring its best products to more customers worldwide.
He added that, building on the success of Marks & Spencer’s clothing business in the Middle East, the new store will provide an important opportunity for more UAE customers to experience the quality, innovation and value of the brand’s food products.
Lemming also said that bringing together a wider range of Marks & Spencer food products in one location could make the brand a more significant part of customers’ everyday shopping.
He said offering customers a broader selection would give them more reasons to visit stores regularly and help expand Marks & Spencer’s presence in the region.
Opening Date for New Marks & Spencer Store in Dubai
According to Al-Futtaim Group, the largest Marks & Spencer food store outside the UK is scheduled to open at Dubai Festival City in December 2026.
However, the exact opening date in December has yet to be announced.
The store is expected to offer more than 4,000 core and local products, along with new food and dining sections, providing a wider range of shopping options for Dubai residents and visitors.