Marks & Spencer is to open a Simply Food store in Swindon, creating around 70 jobs.
The 9,000 sq ft store Mannington Retail Park will sell more than 4,500 quality food and drink lines, including fresh produce, meats, beers, wines and spirits. 
It will also include a deli, a 48-seat café selling Fairtrade hot drinks, sandwiches and snacks. Its in-store bakery will offer a range of speciality breads and pastries and cakes, baked onsite each day.
The retail giant has around 180 Simply Food stores across the UK and recently announced it plans to add a further 150 over the next three years.
The stores offer a wider range of food and drink than the group's traditional high street stores and are attracting shoppers doing their weekly large shop as opposed to those who use M&S for 'top-up' purchases. The stores are usually opened on edge-of-town retail parks with ample car parking, such as Mannington, which is also home to a 49,000 sq ft John Lewis At Home outlet.
While sales of clothing at M&S have come under pressure in recent years, food and drink have performed well.
Store manager Chris Hughes said: “We are delighted to be opening a Simply Food store at Mannington Retail Park which will provide local customers with a fantastic M&S food and drink offer, as well as a bakery and café.”
The store will open on January 15.
