M&S has opened the first 70 jobs at its automated Lichfield fashion hub, which will employ 600. A 70-job foodhall on Baker Way follows in March.

Marks & Spencer has opened applications for the first jobs at its new fashion distribution centre in Lichfield. More than 70 vacancies are live on the M&S careers website, covering management, operational and specialist roles.

The 437,000 sq ft warehouse is fully automated. M&S expects it to employ 600 people once it is fully running, and says it will open next year. The company announced the first wave of recruitment on 28 October (Marks & Spencer press release, 28 October 2026).

The same release confirms a second Lichfield opening. M&S is building a new food store at St John’s Grange, Baker Way, due to open next March with 70 jobs.

What M&S has announced

Fashion distribution centre Food store
Where Lichfield St John’s Grange, Baker Way
Size 437,000 sq ft 15,800 sq ft
Jobs 600 when fully operational; 70+ open now 70
Opens 2027 March 2027
Applications Open now Register interest now; applications open “in the next few weeks”

The hub will add capacity to M&S’s existing distribution network, which runs 24 hours a day. It moves orders from suppliers to distribution centres and then on to stores or straight to customers. M&S is aiming to double its online sales of fashion, home and beauty, and says changing its supply chain is a key part of that plan.

David James, M&S’s supply chain and logistics director for fashion, home and beauty, said the company was looking for “those who enjoy the fast pace of logistics”. He said the first phase covered roles “from Planners to Team Managers and Technicians”, and added: “We’ll recruit for more roles in the coming months as we gear up to launch.”

The Baker Way food store

The food store will be a 15,800 sq ft “fresh market-style foodhall”. M&S lists what it will include:

  • an in-store bakery
  • a hot chicken counter
  • fresh produce from its Select Farm partners
  • its full food range, including the Only… Ingredients, Nutrient Dense and Remarksable Value lines

It is one of 18 new food stores M&S is opening this financial year. Store roles will include shift leads and customer assistants, on the shop floor and in operations.

Baker Way runs through the St John’s Grange development on the south side of the city, where Greywood Primary Academy opened in September.

Why the timing matters

The jobs arrive as unemployment-related benefit claims in the district are rising. The claimant count for Lichfield district was 1,595 in September, up 170 on a year earlier. Among 16 to 24 year olds it reached 380, the highest figure since July 2021. Our September claimant count story has the full figures from the Office for National Statistics.

What it means for you

  • Want a job at the hub? The first 70-plus roles are on the M&S careers website now. M&S says more will follow over the coming months, so the full 600 will not all be advertised at once.
  • Want to work at the food store? You can register your interest now. M&S says applications for store roles will open in the next few weeks.
  • Shopping: the foodhall is due in March 2027. M&S has not given an exact opening date.

We will update this story when M&S confirms the food store’s opening date or opens the next wave of hub recruitment.

Sources