Marks & Spencer (M&S), the British clothing and food retailer, opened its first flagship store in Beijing as part of its strategy to increase its presence in large cities in China. The 131-year-old high street retailer has 10 outlets in China. The new 1,500 square meter store located at The Place has features of a premium boutique shopping environment, including womenswear, menswear, lingerie and kidswear and a food hall. The food hall stocks more than 1,200 types of imported food and wines. The store also has an in-store bakery and a coffee station. The boutique store concept was first introduced in Brussels in May this year, Costas Antimissaris, Marks & Spencer’s International Director said, adding that the store in Beijing is the first to adopt the concept on the Chinese mainland. M&S’s target customers are middle and upper middle class Chinese families, said Antimissaris. The retailer also has an online presence on Tmall.com and JD.com.