Six Simply Food stores will be opened at motorway service stations in the next 18 months as a result of Marks and Spencer’s extension to its franchise contract with Moto, part of Compass Group.
The number of Simply Food motorway stores will increase from three to nine and the first of the new additions is due to open its doors this week on the M6 in Knutsford. Following the success of the service station format further sites are now being located.
The six Moto-run stores are in addition to the 500,000sq ft of M& S Simply Food and food-only space being rolled out by 2006. There are now 119 standalone food stores.
The first Simply Food Moto store opened at Toddington on the M1 last year, followed by Cherwell Valley on the M40 and Reading on the M4 this year.
Marks & Spencer chief executive Stuart Rose said: “We are delighted to be extending our contract with Moto so we can give our customers more choice in more locations.”
As part of the Simply Food roll-out, two stores will open by the end of the year in Elgin, Scotland, and at Manchester Piccadilly train station.