M&S transforms York flagship café into modern coffee shop, reopens Apr 11

When Marks & Spencer announced that its flagship café on Parliament Street in York would close for a makeover, shoppers braced for a change.

The café, tucked on the top floor of the Parliament Street store at 9 The Pavement, YO1 2NB, shut its doors on Sunday, 16 March 2025. A week later, on Monday, 17 March, a crew of fitters and designers began stripping walls, swapping out furniture and fitting new lighting fixtures. Six weeks later, on Friday, 11 April 2025, the space reopened under a fresh banner: the M&S Coffee Shop.

Why the makeover matters

The decision wasn’t a random facelift. According to M&S spokesperson, the revamp is part of a wider rollout that sees the retailer turning traditional cafés into fast‑service coffee shops across the UK. “We wanted a fresh, modern environment and a simplified, quicker customer experience,” she said in an interview with the company’s media team.

That quote sums up a larger trend: department stores are reshaping food‑service areas to compete with specialist coffee chains. By streamlining ordering – customers now pick food from open displays before moving to the counter – M&S hopes to cut queue times and boost impulse purchases.

What the new M&S Coffee Shop looks like

Walk through the updated space and you’ll notice three clear changes. First, the walls are now a light‑grey matte finish, reflecting more daylight from the floor‑to‑ceiling windows that still frame a postcard view of York Minster. Second, the furniture has been swapped for low‑profile, upholstered stools and sleek metal tables that echo coffee‑shop aesthetics rather than traditional department‑store seating. Third, the lighting has been upgraded to warm‑tone LEDs that give the whole area a cosy, Instagram‑ready glow.

• New wall finishes and colour palette
• Reconfigured furniture for quick turnover
• Improved lighting for a brighter ambience
• Dedicated cake display and a larger coffee counter

Food‑wise the menu has been trimmed but focused. Breakfast rolls, toasties, wraps, sausage rolls and a selection of sandwiches line the front displays. On the beverage side, barista‑made coffees, iced drinks and a handful of seasonal specials are on offer. The seating count remains unchanged – twelve seats – but the flow from display to counter is meant to feel “speedy with a smile,” as the spokesperson put it.

Customer reactions and accessibility concerns

Early reviews on TripAdvisor paint a picture of cautious optimism. One reviewer wrote, “The new coffee shop feels fresh, the service is quicker and the view of York Minster is still a huge plus.” Another praised the investment, noting, “It’s still personal service, not a vending machine.”

Yet not everyone is thrilled. A reviewer who identified as a wheelchair user complained, “There are no menus at accessible height – this makes ordering a challenge for me.” The feedback highlights a growing expectation that retail food outlets be fully inclusive, something M&S will likely need to address before the next rollout.

Compared with nearby competitors, the timing feels fortunate. While Morrisons recently shuttered 52 stores and cafés across the UK, and Sainsbury’s closed its Monk Cross café in York, M&S kept its food‑service footfall alive, arguably cushioning its retail foot traffic.

M&S’s wider coffee shop rollout

The York refurbishment mirrors a similar six‑week transformation at the Fosse Park store in Leicester. That project, completed in early 2025, was touted as a pilot for the brand’s “speed‑first” coffee shop model. Since then, at least eight other M&S locations – from Birmingham to Glasgow – have announced similar upgrades.

Industry analysts say the move is strategic. Retail coffee sales in the UK grew 3.5 % year‑on‑year in 2024, and consumers increasingly expect quick service without sacrificing quality. By standardising the coffee‑shop layout, M&S can train staff more efficiently, negotiate bulk coffee bean contracts and roll out a consistent brand experience across regions.

Looking ahead: future plans for York and beyond

For now, the York coffee shop seems to have hit its stride. The company’s social‑media channels posted a short video on 27 April showing busy morning queues and happy customers posing by the Minster‑backdrop. In a follow‑up statement, the same spokesperson hinted at “more innovations coming later this year,” without detail.

What’s likely? A mobile‑order app integration, perhaps, allowing shoppers to pre‑order from the coffee shop while browsing the department store. And, given the accessibility complaints, a redesign of menu displays to meet UK Equality Act standards could be on the agenda.

Whether the York location becomes a template for the rest of the chain depends on footfall numbers, repeat‑visit rates and how quickly M&S can iron out the accessibility kinks. For now, the fresh look and faster service have given the store a revived buzz – and that’s something the city’s retail scene can celebrate.