News and Trends

Source:  https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/newsroom/press-releases/ms-opens-its-biggest-ever-standalone-food-store-godalming-it-invests-bigger M&S today opens its largest ever standalone Food store in Godalming, Surrey, at The Wharf Retail Park The 22,000sq ft Foodhall has been designed around how modern families shop, with the full M&S Food range so customers can get more of their weekly shop in one trip The store features the latest M&S Food format, including a larger in-store bakery, upgraded produce area, cheese barge, dedicated chicken shop, Mai Sushi, enhanced wine shop and a brand-new kitchen shop Godalming shows the latest innovation in-store design in M&S Food, with improved navigation, updated décor, new signage, wider fresh areas and upgraded tills The new store also includes family-friendly touches such as mini trolleys for children, plus opening-day celebrations including a giant inflatable Percy Pig and Percy tote bags for first customers M&S t...

 Source: IGD, away from home, July 2026

  Source: Brian Moore, Linkedin post, 29th July 2026 Waitrose is planning to open more of its mid-sized ‘neighbourhood’ format stores in commuter towns and suburbs in a bid to broaden its appeal and challenge fast-growing rival M&S Food. As part of its current £1bn investment programme, the upmarket retailer plans to introduce more of the stores that are around 7,000 sq. ft., sitting between its regular supermarkets and smaller Little Waitrose convenience stores. The format stocks around 6,500 products, compared to over 15,000 in larger Waitrose supermarkets, with a focus on fresh food, an expanded bakery offer, and more cooking products. The company noted it is designed to help “establish a trip to Waitrose as part of the weekly routine”. Waitrose has already opened around 20 of the neighbourhood shops, with the latest launching at Chelmer Village Retail Park in Essex. Other locations include towns on the outskirts of London, such as Leatherhead and Oxted in Surrey, as well as...

Source: bakeryinfo.co.uk, 28th July 2026 Source: British Baker Bread aisle at a Tesco Extra supermarket store showing the new ‘Expertly selected for quality and taste since 1919’ claim Tesco has switched out its bakery aisles signage that claims products have been ‘expertly baked in store since 1968’. The retailer confirmed to British Baker that this was part of its regular review of in-store signage. In its place, Tesco has put the updated pledge ‘expertly selected for quality & taste since 1919’, which it noted better reflected the range of bakery items it sold across all store formats. The move comes two years after the Real Bread Campaign submitted a complaint to Hertfordshire County Council, which is Tesco’s primary authority for trading standards. The complaint alleged that instead of baking in store, Tesco was stocking prefabricated products brought in from distant factories (some overseas) and simply defrosting or baking them off in what it labelled “loaf-tanning salons” t...

 Source: Gavin Rothwell, Linkedin post Picky bits and snacking - a part of the store we've been paying close attention to recently given its significant recent expansion. And while National Picky Bits day may have been started by M&S last year, it feels like it gained greater momentum this year. So what have we seen in our visits? Here are three points to start with: 1. Extensive focus on multi-buys. 3 for £8 is very common, but alternative deals are available. And, as to be expected in the UK in 2026, the deal is only often accessible to loyalty scheme members. 2. Inspiration from Spain 🇪🇸 and Argentina 🇦🇷has been strong. Tapas style solutions and empanadas among the new products that have arrived on shelf this year. Any coincidence with the World Cup Final may or may not be purely coincidental, and I'd hoped to celebrate the M&S Ploughman's Pot more here, but the key message is that there has been extensive product development this year and increased focus...

Source: https://www.foodfuturesinsights.com/post/uk-supermarkets-five-opportunities-to-increase-the-growth-ceiling From our global supermarket analysis framework, and our assessment of broader food and drink missions and the opportunities within them, here are our five top recommendations for UK supermarkets to grow beyond their current ceiling. Increase the focus on fresh Fresh is emotive. What's more, it creates a very strong link to the product itself. Clearly there is a strong health-led angle driving consumers desire to shop and eat fresh food. And they like solutions - adding part or fully prepared fresh solutions, for the right retailer and in the right locations, can substantially boost the range of functions and missions that a store can meet. . So our recommendations around this are twofold: Locate fresh at the entrance to the store and introduce relevant adjacent products - extended fresh sections can play a key role here. Consider routes to accelerating wider fresh ...