Marks & Spencer has lodged a planning application to relocate its Enniskillen store from Erneside Shopping Centre to a larger unit at Lakeland Retail Park, shifting its focus heavily towards food retail.

The proposed move would see the retailer occupy Unit 1 at the retail park, located approximately 1.1 km north of the town centre along the Cornagrade Road and Irvinestown Road. The site already hosts Home Bargains, Harry Corry, The Range and Costa Coffee.

The application seeks a change of use to permit the sale of food and non-food goods. According to the planning statement, the new store would have a gross floorspace of 2,076 square metres, with around 1,505 square metres dedicated to food sales, representing about 91 per cent of the trading area. The remaining space would carry a limited range of non-food items such as stationery, cards, horticultural products and pharmacy goods.

M&S said the relocation is part of a wider programme to double the size of its food business, requiring larger format stores that can support a full weekly grocery shop. The new store would stock an extended range of around 6,600 lines, include wider aisles designed for larger trolleys and offer increased parking.

The company described its current Erneside site, where it has traded since 2008, as primarily a department store for clothing, home and beauty, with a small foodhall and café. It said the format is no longer a viable long-term model given the growth of online shopping and its limited capacity for full grocery shopping.

All 68 jobs supported at the current store are expected to be retained, and the retailer said additional roles are anticipated at the new location.