The new 2,000 square metre supermarket will open on Thursday, 17th July
M&S is set to open a new foodhall at the former Matalan site in Leytonstone next Thursday (17th July) at 9am.
The new 2,000 square metre supermarket will sit next to Aldi, which opened last year, and will include a bakery, coffee station, flower and wine shops.
In a press release, M&S said a total of 55 staff have been hired, 14 of which are part of Marks and Starts employability scheme for young people.
The scheme is run in partnership with The King’s Trust and is designed to help 16 to 30 year-olds who are disadvantaged in their job hunt gain retail experience.
Chelsea Themistokleous, store manager at M&S Leytonstone, said: “We now have a fantastic team waiting to serve our customers and we cannot wait to open the doors next week.”
Minnie, 20, who lives in Highams Park, will be one of the store’s new customer assistants.
She said: “I finished college last July and took up an electrician’s course but was struggling and ended up at the job centre.
“My favourite part of my job is speaking to customers, we get so many different people coming in to shop, but also I’ve been so lucky to make really good friends with other people on Marks & Start!”
Ahsan Khan, deputy leader and cabinet member for regeneration and housing at Waltham Forest Council, said: ”Supporting our young residents into employment is a priority for us at the council, and I am delighted that Waltham Forest residents have secured new jobs through the Marks and Start programme.
“Our employment teams have worked closely with M&S in the past, so it’s great that we have been able to work together again to help even more young people gain employability skills.”
You can find the M&S foodhall at 829-837 High Road Leytonstone
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations
