UK - M&S has accelerated the transformation of its Food business by doubling the size of its Frozen range, expanding its offer in a category important to family customers.
Launching this week, the refreshed range includes 47 new and improved products and has something for everyone, from clean-ingredient fruit juice pops and whole-milk pops perfect for kids to Collection Toscano Olive Oil Ice Cream and Extremely Chocolatey Loaded Pistachio Velvety Ice Cream Sticks.
The range is 100 percent cent own-label and was created by the M&S in-house product development team with family-focused innovation at its heart.
The transformation includes 34 new and 12 upgraded ice creams and ice lollies, broadening the range with quality and simple ingredients at its core. Fruit Mini Pops are made with real fruit juice, with no added colours or flavours, while Collection Olive Oil Ice Cream is made with West Country double cream and M&S Collection Toscano Olive Oil.
Following the success of its Only Ingredients range and demand for cleaner products, M&S is bringing out its first-ever Only 5 Ingredients Heather Honey Ice Cream and Only 8 Ingredients 85 percent Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, sweetened only with honey.
The expansion is part of M&S' broader focus on strengthening core family categories as it grows the Food business. In the last year, M&S attracted over 802,000 additional customers, with almost half of them being families.
Over the last 12 months, M&S has already added 31 new Frozen lines, including larger packs of bigger packs of Breaded chicken and products such as its Only 3 Ingredients Meatballs and Only 3 Ingredients Burgers, as it builds a broader range for family shopping occasions.
This is the latest of a number of transformations in M&S Foodhalls to become more relevant to families: Recent investments in its Remarksable Value range have seen family favourites, including 5 percent Beef Mince and staple vegetables, reduce in price, while maintaining the quality M&S customers know and trust.
As part of its wider investment in stores, M&S will increase freezer space across its stores by more than 25 percent to support the expansion of its Frozen range. This is the latest addition to the new and renewed store blueprint, which features store features that make shopping as a family easier, including wider aisles, large car parks, and mini trolleys perfect for kids.
“More families than ever are shopping at M&S, and as we grow the Food business, we are focused on making more of the weekly shop feel relevant for them. Frozen is an important category in that mission, so we are investing to bring customers more choice - starting with a complete transformation of our ice cream range," said Alex Freudmann, Managing Director of M&S Food.
"From everyday family favourites like whole Milk Pops and Fruit Pops made with 100 percent real fruit juice, to more indulgent treats and our new Only 8 Ingredients 85 percent Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, this new range is M&S own brand innovation at its best.”
Following the ice cream launch, M&S will continue to refresh Frozen categories, including Frozen Fish, Bake at Home and Healthy Meals, as it builds a bigger, broader offer for customers looking to do their weekly shop.
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