DWF and French outfit Gide Loyrette Nouel are among a number of firms to land roles as Marks & Spencer (M&S) looks to expand its food business in the UK and France.

The retailer plans to open 150 Simply Food stores across the UK over the next three years, to add to the 427 outlets currently in operation. It said the expansion will create more than 5,000 retail jobs. 

About half of the new stores will be owned by M&S and located on high streets and at retail parks. The remainder will be opened by existing franchise partners, which include BP, travel retail company SSP and service station operator Moto. The M&S-owned Simply Food store acquisitions will be led by M&S's in-house property legal team, supported by law firm trio King & Wood Mallesons SJ Berwin (KWM), DWF Biggart Baillie and Osborne Clarke (OC).

KWM real estate partner William Boss is advising on the deal, alongside OC commercial property partner Dolf Darnton. DWF partner David Ratter is advising M&S on property in Scotland.

M&S has meanwhile signed a partnership with French newsagent chain Relay France, which is owned by Lagardere Services. M&S plans to open 10 sites at key railway stations, metro stations and airports in Paris by 2018.

Gide advised M&S on the agreement with a team led by Paris-based competition partner Yann Utzschneider. 

Utzschneider said: "It was a very interesting deal to work on that took several months of discussions. I think there is a public for Marks & Spencer in France. The company needed strong connections to help re-inspire the brand in France, so its partnership with Relay is a good move."

Relay instructed Jones Day's Paris office, which fielded M&A partner Gael Saint Olive and competition partner Eric Barbier de la Serre in leading roles.