The Time Out London blog team

Sure, only the flushest of Londoners can afford to shop at an M&S on the regs – but who’s complaining when a shiny new Marks and Sparks opens in their neighbourhood? Whether you’re after succulent fruits and veggies, luxe specific ingredients or legendary sweet treats like Percy Pigs and Colin the Caterpillar, a local Marks and Spencer supermarket can prove very handy indeed. It’s good news for plenty of Londoners, therefore, that M&S has revealed plans to open four new supermarkets in the capital. Better yet, a further six existing Marks and Spencer stores are getting a substantial refurb. Two of the brand-new M&Ses have already opened. An 8,900-square-foot store on Mitcham Road in Tooting Broadway went live last week, while M&S has also moved to a new location on Tottenham Court Road which is not just 45 percent bigger but slightly closer to the tube station (shifting from number 55 to 15-17). The new TCR spot opened today (June 9) and features an in-store bakery & coffee counter. Photograph: Marks and SpencerM&S Food Tooting Broadway Two more stores are set for Sydenham (at Bell Green Retail Park) and Elephant and Castle (at The Elephant Development), though these don’t yet have opening dates. They’re slated to start welcoming customers sometime this year. As for the glowed-up Marks and Spencer outposts? Well, one of those in Whetstone has already been ‘renewed’ and reopened in April. Two more will be finished this summer, with the upper two floors of the Pantheon...

The DLR has changed the face of east London since it first opened in 1987. In its earliest days, many of the exotic-sounding places it linked up were sparsely populated former docks, and dotted with crumbling remnants of London’s long shipping heritage. But by the early 1990s, Canary Wharf was a freshly-built outcrop of shining towers linked up to a growing array of new waterside office and housing developments. New stations were added on, year after year, reflecting London’s gradual sprawl eastwards as the city grew.  The last major extension came in 2011 with the arrival of the Star Line, which paved the way for the London Olympics and Paralympics the following year by connecting Canning Town to Stratford International, via Star Lane, West Ham, Abbey Road, Stratford High Street and Stratford. The DLR hasn’t exactly been resting on its laurels since then, with new air-conditioned trains set for arrival this summer. Image: TfLMap of proposed DLR extension Even so, it’s been quite some time since the DLR put spade to ground and dug out some new stations, while reshaping whole new neighbourhoods into the bargain. So it’s exciting to see that one long-awaited new extension to the line looks like it’s finally getting underway.  Transport for London (TfL) is inviting Londoners to share their thoughts on a new extension to the DLR, running from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead via Beckton Riverside. The plans will include a new station at Beckton Riverside, opposite Gallions Reach...

If you see anyone wheeling through London on their bike stark naked this month, don’t be alarmed. This weekend the annual World Naked Bike Ride will be returning to the capital, filling the city with cyclists wearing nothing but their birthday suits.  The event has been happening in London since 2004 and you can get a little taste of what to expect visually here. Despite appearances, there are some serious principles behind it, namely to protest against the global dependency on oil, curb car culture, promote real rights for cyclists and celebrate body freedom. Last year, around 1,200 cyclists took off their kit to ride through London in the nude. The nude riders will head into town from various starting points, merging into one group from Westminster Bridge onwards.  Here’s what to expect for the World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) 2026, if you’re looking to take part (or stay well clear).  When is the World Naked Bike Ride happening in London?  The 2026 edition of the World Naked Bike Ride is happening on Sunday June 14. Increased traffic, events, road closures, diversions, protests and the annual Trooping the Colour have made the usual Saturday date increasingly tricky in recent years, so the event’s organisers have agreed to trade places with WNBR Brighton, which will now be taking place on June 13. As well as shifting to Sunday, start times for WNBR London 2026 are also moving half an hour earlier than in previous years. Start times vary depending on where you choose to start...