The seven-year wait is nearly over. Marks and Spencer is targeting an April 1 opening, with the store’s branding going up on Putney High Street this week, marking visible progress toward a comeback that has become a symbol of the area’s recovery.
Nicola Grant, executive director of Positively Putney, confirmed the target opening date. The M&S Food logos are now visible on construction hoarding at 59 Putney High Street, where the restored Art Deco facade bears the original “Marks & Spencer Ltd” lettering above.
Local residents have reacted with excitement. The building, vacant since April 2018, had become the most visible symbol of Putney High Street’s struggles with shop closures and commercial confidence collapse. Its return as a modern food hall represents a tangible turning point after years of frustration.
The store first opened in 1931 and traded on the same site for 91 years before closing as part of M&S’s national restructuring. The building was sold to Marlborough Property (Putney) Limited for £13.3 million in 2016, ending M&S’s ownership of the site. The company held the lease until 2028 but refused to sublet, creating what critics called land banking, while the building deteriorated with roof damage and water ingress.
M&S announced its return in April 2025 as part of a £90 million London investment programme. The Putney store will be a food hall, not a clothing store, reflecting M&S’s shift toward convenience retail.
Scaffolding came down in November 2025, revealing the restored facade. Construction work has continued through winter, with the frontage installation this week showing tangible progress toward the spring opening.
For Putney High Street, which has battled vacancy rates and declining footfall, the return of a national anchor tenant offers hope that commercial confidence is rebuilding. The building that once symbolised decline is becoming a symbol of recovery.
The target opening comes seven years and 11 months after closure. If the April 1 date holds, residents who have waited through years of boarded-up shopfronts and community campaigns will finally see the doors open again.
