Xanthe Sylvester meets staff and customers as they welcome M&S back to the high street
Have you missed us? “YES,” was the resounding response from what seemed like Brixton’s entire community after the oldest M&S branch in London reopened its doors today (20 November) after a seven-month refit. This was a date all the locals had inked into their diaries.
When the doors opened at 9am, the queue of eager customers couldn’t contain their excitement and just plain joy. It was obvious from their smiles and laughter how much they’d missed the store – but more than that. They’d missed the staff, some of whom have worked in the branch upwards of 30 years and describe the shop and its customers as “family”. Regulars that go back even longer than the staff were greeted with hugs. The whole atmosphere was like a post-Covid party for as diverse and harmonious a community than you’ll find anywhere in London.
On the door greeting old friends was Stephanie, who’s worked for M&S since 2002 but didn’t start at Brixton. “I used to work in clothing and I didn’t have a clue about food,” she says. “So I had to transition into food. You go to a different store to get retrained and everybody is properly trained in the departments they work in.”
Stephanie endorses M&S’s reputation as a good company to work for, and one that cares about its customers generally. But she clearly believes the Brixton branch is special.“This store has always had the community atmosphere, because it always had the most diverse [customers]. You don’t see all white people here.”
Foster, has already done a gleeful tour. “I am so happy. We’ve waited for so long. Even my 10-year-old son is as excited as me.”
Eniola falls through the door with the relief of someone with a severe case of post-M&S-starvation trauma.“When it closed I said, ‘Oh my GOD, what am I going to do?’ And my son ordered something online from … er … I don’t know which store, and it was terrible!”
Having shopped here and lived in Brixton 45 years, she was wreathed in smiles – “It’s really nice” – before going off to buy some eggs. “People say, ‘They’re so expensive’, what are they, £4 for ten I think. But then I bought some cheaper from another store and they’re just not as nice.” She clearly feels the quality is worth the extra cost.
New deputy manager Alfie has worked for M&S in South East London for 12 years but is new to the Brixton branch.
“They wanted to bring fresh life into the first London store,” he says of the motivation behind the refurbishment, which has transformed the Brixton branch into a flagship food store.
“They always wanted to do this, but they wanted to do it properly. So they had to wait for the opportunity. This was meant to be the first rebuild but it wasn’t the right time.”
The refit has cost upwards of £10m, the lion’s share of £30m the company has invested into refurbishing London stores in 2024.
“Now they’ve reinvested into it,” Alfie says, “you won’t see another one like this.” He’s been struck by the buzz around the reopening. “I’ve been here for the last week and all I’ve heard, walking up from the station, is [sighing], ‘M&S! It’s finally opening! I can’t wait!’ And we’ve had people with deckchairs queuing up from six, seven o’clock this morning. It’s been amazing. What an experience…”
“It’s like Hamley’s for the old!” laughs Mary, a nurse who’s lived in Brixton all her life. “There are so many options! There’s so much inspiration! I originally wasn’t coming but then …” she trails off dreamily.
“All the excitement, it’s so well deserved by the community, you can see it has a heightened edge. It’s massive!” Mary’s friend Remi says her M&S must-haves are the pineapple and lime juice and the Collection butter – “It’s not everyday butter! And the Zambian honey, the caramel one. And I like the mussels – the things that just feel a bit special.”
Frank, who with the London All Stars steel pans played I Get a Kick Out of You as the doors opened, is glad to be inside again as a resident of 60 years and counting. “Well, it was a beautiful day today to be playing the steel pans.”
Nicky, a sales advisor, has lived in Brixton all his life and worked at the branch most of his adult years. He’s brimming with pride over the original 1930s lead windows that were hidden under the panelling and security shutters the fitters stripped out.
He points to the colourful new murals inside and out. “They commissioned a graffiti artist to do them and they’re all about Brixton, Windrush, David Bowie.
“My dad used to go drinking with him and got free tickets to his first gig. He used to dress like him. He always wears suits, even now. Suits and hats. He used to work in retail too.” Our chat is cut short when he’s summoned to deal with the first shoplifter of the day. “Huh,” he says. “Someone’s nicking already.”
Sylvia, 83, and Juanita, who’s clocked up 26 years on the shop floor, are gassing together like old friends. Sylvia’s excitement is written all over her face. “I’ve been coming here with my mum since I was knee-high,” she says. She’s already got half a trolley load and is unashamed to say she sometimes does her whole shop here.
Juanita and many of her colleagues spent much of the closure at the Clapham Junction and Sidcup branches, whose food department has undergone a similar refit on a smaller scale. “It was a great learning curve, we learned how things should be done,” she says “but it’s great to come back home. This store will stock everything that M&S makes,” she says. “And you’ll still get the same professionalism from all of us, the same love and attention.”
“The only thing I don’t like in here,” says Sylvia, “is the self-service. Where my sister lives in Manchester they’re fetching all the checkouts back because people have been so peed off about these other tills.” And who can blame her wanting a checkout, especially when she’s got a trolley?
But Alison, who’s worked at the branch 15 years and has supervised automated checkouts says, “We’ll do it for you.” It seems the automated checkouts have been renamed “assisted” checkouts (rather like “assisted living” and “assisted dying”) as part of the facelift.
The store has between four and six members of staff supervising them and assisting anyone who feels unhappy using an automated tills. And to ensure staff assigned to this task aren’t made too miserable by it, their stints are limited to an hour maximum.
There are also two small tills worked by humans (although only one is open) and Sylvia chose that option for totting up the contents of her trolley.
Staff were falling over themselves to help and the management have obviously given it a lot of thought – but you can’t help thinking a few old-fashioned checkouts wouldn’t go amiss.
“I mean I’m one of those old dears, aren’t I?” Sylvia says. “I just like all the interaction, and for some of them it’s the only interaction they get all day. Still,” she adds, “at least I know all the girls here. And these are the best girls in any of the Markses.”
One of those is Sandra, 30 years at Marks this very week, and Rita, who’s put in 37 years’ service at the store. What does she think of the new layout? “Amazing. Fantastic. It’s wonderful. I just don’t know what to say. I was at Clapham Junction for seven months and it’s a very nice store to work in but here? This is my home. I’m greeting everybody back.”
Over to Stephanie for the last word.“We are a family store, we’re here for the society. Whatever M&S has done, they’ve done because of the community.”
And none of the community who turned out today could argue with that.
