EXPANSIÓN (complete article)

A Court condemned an insurance company to pay back the payments made in advance by a British couple, including legal interests, with regard to a development in Estepona that suffered a delay in the commencement of the construction. Until now, it was only common to claim indemnifications for the delay in the delivery of the property.

For homesick British expatriates in Spain, the news will provide a welcome reminder of the old country: Marks & Spencer is coming back.

Moreover, it is heading for the resort of choice for the archetypal middle-aged, middle-class, sometimes very wealthy Brit abroad — Marbella, the playground of the Costa del Sol. More specifically 217.097 British are living on a permanent basis in Spain, and a large part of them in and around Marbella.

When the 14,000 sq ft franchised store opens its doors eight years after the retailer shut up shop in mainland Spain, the retailer is hoping that popular lines such as women’s lingerie and tins of shortbread will prove irresistible, and not only for the “exiles”. It also has its eye on attracting Spanish clients, for whom its stores were always a big draw.

The outlet will be franchised to York Limited, M&S’s long-term partner, and will complement its existing store in Gibraltar near by. It still has four stores in the Canary Islands.

Already the return of a British institution such as M&S has raised spirits among the expat population on the Costa del Sol, which has been hit hard by the fall in the value of the pound against the euro and the collapse of the Spanish property market.

The new store will sell a range of clothing, homewear and biscuits and cakes — but no fresh food, so M&S sandwiches are not on the menu.

More to the point, perhaps, reports in Spain suggest, with discernable optimism, that the Marbella store might mark the return of Marks & Spencer across mainland Spain. Begoña Zaragoza Tamarit, a marketing executive in Barcelona, said: “It would be great if they opened up again. I used to go to their stores all the time.”

However, a Marks & Spencer spokesman said: “We do always look for opportunities, but we want to see how this store goes before deciding on expanding.”

Clem Constantine, director of international at Marks & Spencer, said: “We’re delighted to be opening a new store in Marbella this autumn. We’ve had a successful franchise partnership with York Limited for over 40 years in Gibraltar and feel this is an excellent opportunity for us to offer our high-quality, good-value products to both the local and expat population in Marbella.”

Source: Times Online