Marks & Spencer is heading back to the Philippines. On 8 June 2026, the British retailer confirmed a fresh franchise agreement with PT Mitra Adiperkasa Tbk (MAP), the Jakarta-listed retail group that has operated M&S stores across Indonesia and Vietnam for more than 26 years. Day-to-day operations pass to MAP subsidiary Universal Fashion Philippines Inc, with the first store earmarked for Glorietta in Manila before the end of the year.
M&S is not a newcomer to Manila. The chain has traded in the Philippines since 1984, but earlier this year it signalled a switch to a new franchise partner to underwrite a more ambitious regional push. Handing the licence to MAP, an operator it already knows intimately, lets M&S restart with a partner that understands Filipino shoppers, local mall economics and the supply chains that make imported fashion and food work in Southeast Asia.
MAP is one of the region’s most established retail franchisees, running portfolios that span fashion, beauty and food across the archipelago and neighbouring markets. For M&S, leaning on that infrastructure is the whole point. The retailer has been candid that its overseas growth now runs through a capital-light model: fewer, larger and more strategic partners who carry the property and staffing risk while M&S supplies the brand, product and systems.
“MAP’s deep local expertise gives us confidence as we accelerate our growth.”
That line, from M&S International managing director Mark Lemming, captures how the company wants to scale across the region without sinking its own capital into every lease.
Under the agreement, M&S Fashion, Home & Beauty and its Food range will return to Filipino consumers through physical stores and online channels later in 2026. The Glorietta flagship anchors the relaunch in one of Manila’s premier shopping destinations, with the brand betting that demand built over four decades has not faded.
The Philippines deal is a clean example of the franchise structure now driving cross-border retail in Asia. Rather than entering directly, a global brand grants market rights to a proven local group through a master franchise model and lets that partner localise everything from pricing to store formats. It is the same playbook that global brands are using as they double down on Asia.
For investors and operators across ASEAN, the M&S move is a useful signal. Heritage Western brands are no longer trying to own their Asian stores outright; they want well-capitalised local partners who can absorb real-estate risk and read consumer demand market by market. That is good news for regional groups with mall relationships and category depth, and it raises the value of a credible franchise track record. The lesson for anyone weighing master rights is the one MAP just demonstrated: a multi-decade relationship and operational reliability can be worth more than the highest headline bid. For brands and investors mapping their own entry, the discipline of buying a franchise in Asia the right way has rarely mattered more.
Source: Retail Gazette — Marks & Spencer signs new Philippines franchise deal
