Jon Fellowes
Published November 21, 2025 10:58am
Updated November 21, 2025 10:58am
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My trip to the UK’s largest M&S store offered much more than I expected. (Picture: Jon Fellowes)
I’ll confess that M&S is not usually my go-to for the big shop. Instead, I reserve it for what they do best: a picky bits tea, the best small bottles of wine you can drink on a train, and, now I’m in my thirties, the occasional wardrobe upgrade.
However, upon learning that I was now living 10 minutes away from the North’s largest M&S store, located at Cheshire Oaks, I felt it was essential to check it out.
Before you Londoners protest, yes, there is technically a bigger M&S in Marble Arch. However, this northern offering is the largest M&S has ever built from scratch (and besides, plans are currently in motion to redevelop the one in the capital). It also has the lofty title of ‘second biggest M&S in the world’.
As I ventured to the mammoth shop, roughly the size of 11 Olympic swimming pools, I had some questions.
What could such vastness encapsulate? Wardrobes you could find Narnia in? Or just row after row of padded gilets?
As it turns out, it held more than a few surprises. Here’s how I got on.
Getting to M&S Cheshire Oaks
Cheshire Oaks is located off of Stanney Woods Avenue, Goodwood Square, Ellesmere Port (CH65 9GZ).
If you’re driving, it’s very difficult to miss, but it’s located right by the turnoff for The Blue Planet Aquarium, and also very near the Chester Porsche Centre and Audi Garage. Following the signs for the Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet from any of the nearby major roads should get you close enough.
In terms of public transportation, the nearest train stations are either Chester or Ellesmere Port, both of which require a short bus or taxi ride.
From Chester to Cheshire Oaks, the 1 or X1 bus stops at the outlet, or it costs around £10-£12 in an Uber.
Arriving at M&S Cheshire Oaks
The ‘Eco’ store was designed with the environment in mind (Picture: Jon Fellowes)
Unlike my visit to the UK’s biggest Tesco, the size of this M&S store really does hit you square in the face — as does the fact that it’s environmentally friendly.
There are nods to the fact that this is M&S’s greenest store everywhere. From small details, such as the ‘welcome to your eco store’ sign and the ‘gabion’ walls, to the small ‘wild meadows’ that encourage insects and wildlife, and the vast ‘green wall’ covered in plants that flanks the two-storey car park.
And as soon as you walk through the doors, the sheer amount of choice on offer sets it apart.
The store is truly vast (Picture: Jon Fellowes)
Downstairs, you’ll find Women’s Wear (including Lingerie, Hosiery, and Beauty), while upstairs, it’s Men’s Wear, Kid’s wear, Luggage, and the Home section.
There’s also an enormous beauty hall that would rival your local Boots, with brands including Benefit and Estee Lauder, plus a food hall that’s almost its own supermarket. The store has a mammouth 148,000 sq ft of selling space, and each section occupied the same floor space I imagine a local M&S store might need by itself, with hundreds of items from M&S ranges like Autograph, Per Una and Goodmove. It took one minute and 35 seconds to do the 132 steps from one side of the store to the other (yes, I timed it).
A ‘shopping mall’ in M&S
The store has several concessions like Jaeger and White Stuff (Picture: Jon Fellowes)
M&S claims this branch has the ‘most extensive range of M&S products’, but the store also had so many concessions that it almost felt like its own mall. You’ll also find rails of clothing from White Stuff, Seasalt and Jaeger.
Between the concessions and the M&S stock, the selection was pretty mindblowing.
Without wishing to sound too much like Alan Partridge, one of my biggest gripes is that I can never find shoes in my size — a curse bestowed upon those of us with big feet. Not so at Cheshire Oaks. Size 12s proved abundant.
The home section also featured the M&S x Fired Earth section — a collab that’s apparently available in limited stores across the country. And since my visit, the branch’s TikTok shows a fun selection of Christmas decorations have landed – including baubles shaped like M&S crisps.
@mandscheshireoaks🎄 “When you love M&S Food so much it makes it onto the Christmas tree…” #newin #christmas #mandsfood #mandslocal #decoration
♬ sonido original – Bryan
Full disclosure: my M&S visit was timed ahead of the arrival of my firstborn, so I had a vested interest in researching M&S’s offerings for babies.
Upstairs at M&S Cheshire Oaks, there is a huge Mamas & Papas concession that (at the time of my visit) was holding its ‘Big Little Event’ with many items up to 50% off, and still regularly holds sales.
From sleep suits and blankets to adorable toys and baby-related gadgets, the concession proved to be well worth a look, as did seeking advice from the friendly, approachable, and knowledgeable staff.
Not only do they stock smaller items, but they also offer a wide range of prams, including a device I had yet to see in my baby-related shopping — a small test-drive ramp with various bits of mock terrain.
While that might be standard in large Mamas and Papas stores, it was definitely the first time I’d ever seen one in an M&S.
A ramp to test drive your buggy (Picture: Jon Fellowes)
The Mamas & Papas concession held more than a few bargains (Picture: Jon Fellowes)
Outside of the Mamas and Papas concession, M&S also has its own extensive baby clothes line at M&S Cheshire Oaks, meaning that the entirety of what I’m terming the ‘north wing’ of the store’s upper level is given over to kids and baby items.
Eating at M&S Cheshire Oaks
After all the shopping, I had built up quite an appetite, so I visited one of the two cafes located on either floor of M&S Cheshire Oaks.
Combined, they reportedly seat a whopping 430 people – a pretty big number considering other M&S cafes are currently shutting their doors.
I went to the top-floor cafe, which is probably the larger of the two and takes up a good portion of what I’m terming the ‘south wing’ of the site… which may not be entirely geographically accurate.
The menu itself looked pretty good – a combination of cafe classics, light lunches and a tempting, tradional all-day breakfast (£9.95).
If that doesn’t hit the spot, then you could opt for the pesto eggs, with haloumi and asparagus (£9.95), a ‘berry bliss’ granola bowl (£4.95) or even pancake stacks (£6.00).
Even the tracking system was fancy (Picture: Jon Fellowes)
It being the morning, I opted for one of the ciabattas – mature cheddar omelette with tomato and chilli chutney, accompanied by their limited-edition ‘Kenyan blend’ flat white coffee. Perhaps a tad pricey at £6.30, but not too bad, all things considered, and it was actually really tasty.
If I’d stayed for lunch, I could have opted for ‘Gastropub’ fish and chips (£11.95), jacket potatoes (around £6 – £7), a selection of soups (£5.50 – £6.50) or some hot sandwiches (£7.50).
The hot drinks list also had a couple of quirky new offerings that included a Lion’s Mane latte (£4.00), Iced wild strawberry matcha (£4.25), a peaches and cream Iced latte (£4.10), and an Eton Mess milkshake (£4.25).
Comment now Have you been to M&S Cheshire Oaks?Comment NowThe fancy tracker system for getting your order to you also struck me as unique, as you’re given a pad upon ordering to place down on any table you like, and your food will be delivered to you: no buzzing, shouting, or holding up numbers.
After some more shopping, it was time to check out what might be a highlight of most trips to a Marks & Spencer: a visit to the food hall.
In all honesty, as first impressions go, the food hall at M&S Cheshire Oaks didn’t strike me as that big.
The mango, pineapple, and passionfruit smoothie proved particularly good (Picture: Jon Fellowes)
It’s tough to make estimates, but I’ve definitely been in M&S stores with a food hall of similar or comparable size.
Upon entering, directly to your right is the fresh deli counter, featuring freshly made baguettes, salads, wraps, smoothies, and more. Right next to it, you also have a pretty sizable Mai Sushi concession, with things like Miso Soup (£1.60), Sushi Kits (£4.50) and other Japanese treats.
The fresh deli counter and Mai Sushi concession looked great. (Picture: Jon Fellowes)
Both of these also feature in other larger M&S stores, but they definitely made for a welcome addition at this one.
Everyone always talks up Lidl’s bakery offering, and justifiably so. However, the bakery at M&S Cheshire Oaks also deserves an honourable mention, with a pretty extensive selection of fresh pastries and breads.
While you had some of the more traditional offerings like pain au chocolat (£1.25), cinnamon buns (£1.85), and chocolate and lemon drizzle muffins (£1.50), some of the more unusual standouts for me included the strawberry merengue cloud (£2), the birthday yumnut (£1.85), and an apricot and madagascan vanilla croissant (£2.65).
Birthday yumnut, anyone? (Picture: Jon Fellowes)
What did I buy from the UK’s biggest M&S?
Taking full advantage of the Mamas & Papas sale, I managed to secure a ‘Wildly Adventures’ zero to six months sleep bag (2.5 tog for our winter baby) at the bargain price of £17.50 (50% off its £35 RRP).
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While I suspect my little one will grow out of them in about a week (if they even fit at all), I also couldn’t resist a set of the Bear Booties for newborns – just £6, after the 25% sale discount was applied (£8 RRP).
How adorable are these? (Picture: Jon Fellowes)
Unable to leave M&S without purchasing something for lunch, I also took advantage of the fresh deli’s ‘lunch deal’ and got myself a Peri Peri chicken wrap with pickle slaw, along with a smoothie made from mango, pineapple, and passionfruit.
While this might not have reached the budgetary heights of when I managed to beat the Tesco Meal Deal, I thought the £6.50 offer was actually quite fair for what I got, which proved really tasty.
Staying true to my ‘picky bits’ claim, I also snapped up a mini grazing snack pack with Napoli salami, cheddar cheese, and mini bruschetta for just £2.60
How to get M&S products for less
After our trip to M&S Cheshire Oaks, I put my local knowledge to use and made the 10-minute walk across to the Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet to check out what was on offer at the M&S Outlet Store there.
While the selection there is undoubtedly far, far less than its sister store across the road, there were definitely a few bargains to be had at reduced prices.
The nearby Outlet store offers some good bargains (Picture: Jon Fellowes)
Some highlights included Slim-fit M&S chinos, which were down from an original price of £35 to just £8.75 and £12 respectively, and shoes priced as low as £20.
Continuing my hunt for baby gear, I managed to snag some adorable, zero-to-three-month-old stripey trousers for just a fiver (RRP £7).
The store also offers ‘not quite perfect’ and ‘clearance cleared up’ items that are sold as seen at a further reduced cost.
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