Marks and Spencer is coming back to Newport city centre, Business Argus can reveal.

The leading UK clothes and food retailer is to return the centre a number of years after it moved to Spytty from its Commercial Street store.

The giant of the high street told Business Argus it is planning to open a Foodhall in the city centre.

It is understood the new store will be coming to Friars Walk along with the likes of Debenhams, Next, Top Shop, H&M which have already signed to take place, although this has not been confirmed by the developers.

It is also understood that the Spytty store will remain open.

A spokesman for M&S said: "We are planning to bring a new Marks & Spencer Foodhall to the heart of Newport. We will provide more information as the new store progresses.”

They did not reveal any jobs figures or the size of the unit they would be taking in the city centre.

Justin Kingdon, of CNC Property Fund Management, based in Newport, said: "This is great news. It is a really solid vote of confidence in Friars Walk and the city of Newport as a whole from Marks and Spencer, one of the UK's leading retailers and a brand which is synonymous with quality and excellence. M&S is renowned as a brand throughout not just the UK but the world."

The news came on the same day Queensberry Real Estate, the developers behind the £90m retail and leisure scheme at Friars Walk, revealed more names which have signed to take space at the city centre site.

JD Sports, Krispy Kreme, Occasions Cards, Pandora and the Candle Company have all been confirmed for Friars Walk, amounting to another 12,000 sq ft of retail space.

JD Sports are taking a 6,000 sq ft unit. JD Sports is the leading trainer and sports fashion retailer in the UK and sell many limited edition and exclusive designs from Adidas Originals and Nike.

Pandora are an international Danish jewellery manufacturer and retailer founded in 1982 by Per Enevoldsen. The company started as a family-run jewellery shop in Copenhagen before transforming to an international brand.

Kate Walsh, VP of Retail, said "We are thrilled to announce the relocation of our new store embodies a Scandinavian, feminine design and acts as the perfect setting for our beautiful hand-finished jewellery."

Mike Dowell, CEO of Krispy Kreme said: "Friars Walk is a great opportunity for us to bring Krispy Kreme doughnuts to our fans in and around the Newport and south east Wales. We are counting down the days to opening which always causes a great deal of excitement."

Occasions Cards and the Candle Company will also take units in the scheme.

Paul Gray, from the Candle Company, said: "I’m very excited about opening the Candle Company in Friars Walk and am looking forward to the grand opening. Friars Walk will transform Newport and will bring shoppers back into the city centre and we are delighted to part of this when it officially opens later this year."

Stuart Harris, commercial director and co-founder of developers Queensberry Real Estate, said: "With just over three months until we open it is extremely positive news for the city to be able to announce the next tranche of new signings for Friars Walk. Watch this space for other new names to be announced over the course of the next month. We’ve now agreed terms on 80 per cent of the space in Friars Walk.

"These are great names to have coming to Friars Walk. It’s an exciting time for the city and a busy time for us, we have around 400 people working on site and the build is moving ahead at pace with fit outs already underway for Debenhams and Cineworld with more commencing over the summer weeks."

Construction of the 390,000 sq ft retail and leisure scheme in the heart of Newport city centre is well advanced.

Friars Walk will be opening to the public at 10am on November 12, 2015. As well as the retail offering there will also be a number of restaurants include Nandos, TGI Fridays, Cosmo and Le Pierre Bistro, plus an eight-screen Cineworld cinema.

Plans are already being drawn up for the opening which Mr Harris said would take place over a weekend, with an official ribbon cutting taking place on the 12th.

It has also been revealed that The Entertainer toy store is also coming to the city centre in a unit close to Friars Walk, in Austin Friars next to the planned Burger King.