{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-11-02/marks-spencer-dubai-festival-city-food-hall","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-11-02/marks-spencer-dubai-festival-city-food-hall.md","title":"Marks & Spencer Opens Largest Food Hall Outside UK in Dubai","headline":"Marks & Spencer to Open 15,327 sq ft Food Hall at Dubai Festival City in December","description":"Marks & Spencer will open its largest food hall outside the UK in Dubai in December, stocking 3,500 core products and 500 local lines across 15,327 sq ft.","section":"Expansion","published_at":"2026-11-02T05:56:42+00:00","modified_at":"2026-11-02T05:56:42+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["Marks & Spencer will open a 15,327 sq ft food hall at Dubai Festival City in December, its largest outside the UK.","The store will carry more than 3,500 core M&S products and 500 locally sourced lines, with fresh flowers and a patisserie making their international and Middle East debuts.","Al-Futtaim, which signed the M&S franchise in 1997, operates the partnership that now spans nearly three decades."],"companies":[{"name":"Marks & Spencer","is_primary":true,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00003p6/marks-spencer","website":"http://www.marksandspencer.com"},{"name":"Al-Futtaim Group","is_primary":false,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0005avh/al-futtaim-group","website":"https://www.alfuttaim.com"}],"source":{"publisher":"GulfNews","title":"Marks & Spencer To Open Largest Food Hall Outside UK in Dubai Festival City","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/ms-to-bring-full-food-range-to-uae-find-out-where-1.500732263"},"other_sources":[],"tags":["Expansion","Marks & Spencer","Al-Futtaim Group"],"body_markdown":"Marks & Spencer will open its largest food hall outside the UK at Dubai Festival City in December, carrying the full M&S Food range for the first time outside Britain. [GulfNews](https://gulfnews.com/business/ms-to-bring-full-food-range-to-uae-find-out-where-1.500732263) reported the announcement on November 2.\n\n## Inside the Dubai Festival City Food Hall\n\nThe 15,327 sq ft (1,424 sq m) store will hold more than 3,500 core M&S products and 500 locally sourced lines, supplied by more than 200 UK suppliers and a network of local producers across produce, protein, grocery, bakery and meal solutions. Fresh M&S flowers will make their international debut, and the Middle East will get its first M&S Patisserie. A Fruit Butcher, sushi counter, rotisserie chicken station, coffee shop and pizza oven complete the line-up.\n\nWassim Arabi, President of Retail at [Al-Futtaim Group](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0005avh/al-futtaim-group), said: \"The launch of this new Foodhall is an important milestone in that journey, bringing an exciting, elevated food shopping experience to our customers.\" Mark Lemming, Managing Director of International at [Marks & Spencer](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00003p6/marks-spencer), said: \"By bringing a broader range of M&S Food together under one roof, we can become a bigger part of our customers' everyday lives.\"\n\nAl-Futtaim signed the M&S franchise in 1997, and the first Dubai store opened in Deira in 1998. In 2007, M&S built its largest store outside the UK at Dubai Festival City Mall, and a 2017 refit added an M&S Café, the brand's first table-service dining option in the region.\n\n## Marks & Spencer's Food Division at a Glance\n\nAccording to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data), Marks & Spencer reported £17.4 billion in sales for 52 weeks, with the food division growing 7% and now accounting for 54% of total revenues. Adjusted profit before tax fell 23.8% to £671.4 million, from £881.1 million the prior year, due to an April 2025 cyber attack. The company recorded £131 million in cyber attack response, recovery and remediation costs.\n\n## Earlier Moves in Marks & Spencer's Expansion\n\nIn June 2026, construction of a new M&S Foodhall at Fox Valley shopping centre in north Sheffield reached a milestone with the building's steel frame in place ahead of an expected autumn opening, according to akta.pro company records. In May 2026, the company began construction on a £340 million automated National Distribution Centre in Northamptonshire, targeting a 2029 opening. In October 2026, M&S confirmed it would close its Alton Simply Food store after more than 20 years when the lease expires next January, [Express.co.uk](https://akta.pro/news-signals) reported.\n\n## What Comes Next for the Dubai Store\n\nThe Dubai Festival City food hall is scheduled to open in December.\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}