On 15 March 1951, 47-49 Briggate opened as a new M&S superstore. The plot of land had been purchased by M&S in 1939, with the Rialto cinema being demolished at 46 Briggate to make way for the new store. But at the start of the Second World War, the new building was taken over by the Ministry of Works for storage, and the sub-basement was used as an air-raid shelter. Finally, in 1951 the store was ready to open (the existing M&S store at 76 Briggate closed earlier in the same month).
Most new M&S stores at this time had a similar appearance. They were designed by architect Robert Lutyens. He created a design that was modern and distinctive and could also be easily adapted to fit stores of different sizes.
100 years of M&S was marked in 1984 at Kirkgate Market with a specially designed clock. Mounted on a cast iron pillar, the clock stands under the central dome in the 1904 hall, 200 yards from where Michael Marks set up his first market stall.
In 1988, M&S celebrated the centenary of Simon Marks’ birth. A clock was unveiled on the front of the Briggate store on 9 July 1988 as a tribute.
In 2013 the Briggate store was extended again, this time into the newly opened Trinity shopping centre. A second café was also added and the M&S Heritage Stall at Kirkgate Market was opened. Visitors to the stall can learn about the remarkable story of M&Swhile enjoying a coffee and picking up gifts and souvenirs.
