Marks & Spencer is to invest £600m in store revamps

The overhaul includes a range of different store formats based on age, affluence and the demographics of the location, taking into account rival retailers in the area.

The new-style stores are set to be piloted as early as next month.

Chief executive Marc Bolland is understood to have ordered a raft of new store designs in May and £600m is earmarked for implementing a new look and feel for M&S over the next three years.

The retailer has been trying to make its stores easier to shop in this year, following research which showed that customers were often confused with store layouts.

It is also set to relaunch its clothing sub-brands. The move is in line with Bolland’s strategy of turning in-house labels into brands in their own right. It has also hired dedicated brand managers.

The retailer is also tipped to have fresh delicatessens in-store.