Top British retailer Marks & Spencer is to reopen in Madrid, 23 years after its store in the Spanish capital closed down.
The retail giant is set to open in the city’s La Vaguada shopping centre before the end of the year, with staff recruitment already underway.
La Vaguada is home to several other British retailers, with Lush, JD Sports and Primark all open in the large shopping complex.
The company’s original Madrid store opened in 1994 and was seen as a major coup for the Spanish retail sector.
Throughout the 1990s, the company expanded its Spanish presence, with stores opening in Barcelona, Valencia, and Seville.
But the early years of the millennium saw the company pivot its strategy, leading to the closures of all its stores on the Spanish mainland as it aimed to focus on more profitable and viable markets for the brand.
It returned in 2009, when it capitalised on the growing popularity of Marbella by opening a new store in the area.
News of the Madrid store could signal the start of an attempt by the company to re-establish itself in the country, although no other plans have been announced.
The store is expected to focus on its fashion brands after the company caused outrage amongst Spanish cuisine enthusiasts last year.
In November, the supermarket chain introduced chorizo paella croquetas, which they said were “handmade in Spain”.
Hugh Elliot, the British ambassador to Spain, responded to a post on X about the product writing: “Chorizo, yes! Paella, yes! Croquetas, yes! Yes! All together? …. M&S, what have you done?”
Online, some Spaniars jokingly called for a boycott of the chain, with one user comparing it to “selling fish and chips soaked in tea.”
