M&S today opens the doors to its biggest ever standalone Food store in Godalming, Surrey, as it continues to invest in bigger, better stores that help more family customers complete their weekly shop at M&S.
The brand-new 22,000sq ft Foodhall, located in The Wharf Retail Park, Woolsack Way, opened today from 8am and brings the full M&S Food range together under one roof. The store is a former Homebase site and forms part of M&S’s wider investment in new and renewed stores to modernise its estate, create larger Foodhalls and make M&S more relevant for families doing more of their weekly shop.
Godalming showcases the next generation of the M&S Food stores, with a brighter, easier-to-shop layout and more space for customers to browse the products they buy every week. The store includes wider fresh produce areas, multi-temperature zones in herbs, organic and fruit, a larger in-store bakery, an enhanced cheese barge, a dedicated chicken shop, Mai Sushi, a rotisserie chicken counter, a new kitchen shop with family kitchen essentials and an upgraded beers, wines and spirits shop-in-shop.
Designed around how modern families shop, the store has more room for weekly shop missions, improved customer flow and a broader mix of everyday essentials. Alongside the full M&S Food range, the store will carry the full Remarksable Value range, which has expanded to 175 products, with everyday shopping-list staples benchmarked against competitor prices while maintaining the quality, sourcing, ingredient and welfare standards customers expect from M&S.
Customers will also find a series of new and upgraded areas designed to make the store feel easier to shop in, from fresh market-style produce and bakery counters to kitchen essentials, floral and horticulture, frozen fruit, pet food, organic ranges and family-friendly features including mini trolleys for children.
To mark the opening, the Godalming team welcomed a queue of customers from 8am, with opening-day activity including a giant inflatable Percy Pig outside the store and special Godalming tote bags for the first customers.
Alex Freudmann, managing director of M&S Food, said: “We’re doubling our Food business with investment where family customers are asking for it most: bigger, better stores and more trusted value on the products families buy every week.
“Godalming is our biggest ever standalone Food store and an example of the kind of modern, full-range Foodhall we’re investing in as we double the size of the business. It brings together the full M&S Food range, more space for the weekly shop and the latest store design so customers can get everything they need in one trip, without compromising on the M&S quality they expect.”
Amelia Holiwell, store manager at M&S Godalming, said: “We welcomed so many excited customers this morning at Godalming, and I’m so pleased that they all had a fantastic reaction to the new store. The team of 80 new colleagues has worked incredibly hard to get the store ready and we’re really proud to open a Foodhall that brings the very best of M&S Food to Godalming, from fresh produce and bakery to family favourites, great value and everyday essentials.”
The store is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 9pm and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
