Marks & Spencer opens tomorrow in Brussels

Marks & Spencer (M&S), the beloved British High Street chain famous for pork pies, ready-made chicken tikka masala and comfortable pants, returns to the Brussels shopping scene tomorrow after an absence of 14 years.

The new department store is on Toison d’Or  in a newly constructed block between Rue des Chevaliers and Rue Capitaine Crespel. M&S shares the building with a new outlet of clothing chain Zara, and apartments are located above.

M&S left its Belgian flagship store on Rue Neuve – as well as 38 more shops across the mainland – in 2001. The comeback has already seen re-openings in Paris and The Hague, and in 2012 Belgian customers could start making use of a webshop for all of their flannel pyjama needs – but not for the famous Food Hall.

The new store takes up 5,000 square metres of floor space and includes a clothing department as well as the Food Hall and restaurant. The block also has underground parking, part of an extension of the existing car park run by Interparking.

“We are delighted that we can make a contribution to the commercial appeal of Brussels with this fine project,” said Philip Van Perlstein, managing director of developer ProWinko, which owns the complex. “With the arrival of these two flagship stores, Brussels consolidates its reputation as a shopping city.”

Architectural drawing courtesy ProWinko