Marks & Spencer to open 20 large shops, creating 3,400 jobs

Retail chain to invest 480m in rejuvenate its presence on the high street

Marks & Spencer is to open 20 large stores and create 3,400 jobs as part of a 500m plan to rejuvenate its presence on the high street after bumper Christmas trading.

The retail chain - which in October said it would close 67 of its lower productivity" sites that sold clothes and homewares, about a quarter of its estate of bigger stores - said it planned to open the 20 new bigger, better" stores in locations across the UK in the next financial year.