Building continues on M&S and Next at St Michael’s Retail Park, Ripon

It was confirmed previously that the two major retailers will take up the remaining spaces in St Michael’s Retail Park, Rotary Way, Ripon.

Just before Christmas, planning agents acting on behalf of Next were granted planning approval from North Yorkshire Council to combine two units to create the store, while M&S, who already have a store at the retail park, agreed to take another of the units to extend its food hall offering.

The M&S Food extension and Next store in Ripon (Image: NORTHERN ECHO) In recent weeks, builders have been spotted at both sites, with Next starting to take shape and M&S erecting signs on the doors stating the shop is "coming soon".

It's expected that the M&S extension will open in spring this year, while a provisional date of May has been set for Next, although this could be changed, according to a spokesperson.

The unit where the Next store will go in Ripon (Image: NORTHERN ECHO) A spokesperson for M&S added: “We will be increasing the space in store from 7,300 to 12,300 sq ft, to significantly improve the range of food products in store.

“The store will have an upgraded in-store bakery and include coffee to go, a fresh produce selection, a new Click and Collect proposition, improving the wine, Beers, and spirits offer, adding new checkouts.”

The M&S 'coming soon' signs (Image: NORTHERN ECHO) Groundwork for the project began at the end of last year, including converting parts of the car park and converting both units to shops, but in recent images, extensive work can be seen on the site. 

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The images show diggers in portions of the car park, while the shop units can be seen taking shape.

While the signage has not yet been added to the shops, it's expected to arrive in the coming weeks, according to the two shops.

For a time, Lidl had been set to move next to the retail park, gaining planning approval for such a move, but due to delays, it pulled out of a contract with the developer last year, and Next moved to the development instead.