M&S Food and BP extend partnership
The businesses will build upon a 16-year relationship, having first partnered in 2005, and M&S Food is now available at almost 300 BP-operated retail sites across Great Britain
BP and M&S Food have agreed to extend their convenience partnership until 2030, in a bid to evolve their forecourt offering “as customers’ behaviour changes over the next decade”.
The businesses will build upon a 16-year relationship, having first partnered in 2005, and M&S Food is now available at almost 300 BP-operated retail sites across Great Britain.
It comes as the convenience sector has continued to grow in light of changing consumer demands, with more customers “topping up” at convenience stores, as well as the growing trend for delivered food.
According to BP, customers were buying 20% more at its forecourt stores during lockdown, with the trend set to continue “as the forecourt becomes an integral part of the community”. It added that around half of forecourt transactions today are retail only and not involving fuel.
In addition, based on Euromonitor analysis, convenience retail is expected to nearly double by 2030 in 45 of the leading economies of the world, growing at more than 5% a year.
Alex Jensen, BP’s senior vice president for mobility and convenience, Europe and Southern Africa, said: “We’re proud to continue to build on nearly two decades of our great partnership with M&S, one of the UK’s leading food retailers.
“Of course, our sites provide advanced fuels, but our customers also want high-quality healthy food options, for now and for later. And they also want increasingly convenient ways to buy that fit in with their busy lifestyles. bp’s partnership with M&S Food has led the way in the UK and we aim to continue to innovate and grow to meet our customers’ needs.”
M&S COO and M&S food managing director Stuart Machin added: “M&S Food is famous for great quality food at fantastic value and over the past 16 years our partnership with BP has given many more customers the opportunity to enjoy our wide range of delicious sandwiches, meals and everyday staples in almost 300 locations across Great Britain.
“This extended commitment will enable us to work together to invest in the look and feel of the stores, building on the M&S renewal programme, and our supply chain to maximise availability and reduce food waste.”
