Acquisitions Manager - South & London

We are looking for a commercially driven Acquisition Manager to help shape the future M&S store estate. You'll identify, secure and progress new store opportunities that support our long-term growth ambitions, strengthen our presence in key locations and deliver value for our customers and business.

Working across Foodhall, Full Line and relocation opportunities, you will combine market insight, financial acumen and strong negotiation skills to build a high-quality pipeline of opportunities and drive deals from initial identification through to completion. Partnering with colleagues across Property, Finance, Construction and Operations, you will play a key role in delivering our property transformation strategy.

This role offers a mix of office and field-based working, with time divided between our Waterside Support Centre and travel across the business as required

What You Will Do

• Build and maintain a robust pipeline of new store opportunities across your allocated region.
• Identify and assess sites through market analysis, catchment reviews, competitor insights and demographic trends.
• Prepare business cases, financial appraisals and investment recommendations for new opportunities.
• Lead negotiations with landlords, developers, agents and local authorities to secure commercially favourable terms.
• Manage the end-to-end acquisition process from site identification through to legal completion and handover into delivery.

Who You Will Be

• A property professional with experience in acquisitions, retail property or commercial real estate.
• Commercially minded with the ability to assess opportunities and balance risk with long-term value creation.
• A confident negotiator who can influence both external partners and internal stakeholders.
• Results focused, with strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple opportunities simultaneously.
• A collaborative team player who enjoys building strong working relationships across a wide range of stakeholders.

What You Will Bring

• Proven experience within retail, leisure or mixed-use property acquisitions.
• Strong negotiation skills and experience securing complex commercial agreements.
• Knowledge of planning processes, leasing structures, development activity and property fundamentals.
• Strong analytical and financial appraisal skills with the ability to evaluate investment opportunities and business cases.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

What’s in it for you

Being a part of M&S is exactly that – playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We’re an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever‑evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value and service to every customer, whenever, wherever and however they want to shop with us.

Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special…

• 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third‑party brands for you and a member of your household.
• Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days.
• Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
• A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
• A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.
• Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.
• Industry‑leading parental, adoption and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
• Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues, including our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist for you and your family.
• A charity volunteer day to support a cause you're passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.

Everyone’s welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together. If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.