M&S is raising the bar in food retail with the opening of the brand's largest standalone grocery store ever in Godalming, Surrey. The new Foodhall, housed in a former Homebase space within the Wharf Retail Park, spans approximately 2.040 square meters and brings the entire M&S Food range under one roof.
The project reflects a specific strategy: to increase the brand's relevance in families' weekly shopping, overcoming the perception of a single brand primarily tied to complementary purchases and premium products. The store was therefore designed to allow customers to concentrate multiple purchases in a single visit.
The layout introduces larger areas for fresh produce and vegetables, an enhanced in-store bakery, a dedicated cheese section, a chicken shop, a Mai Sushi corner, a rotisserie, and a revamped wine and spirits department. A kitchen shop with home cooking supplies also debuts, while the assortment includes organic products, frozen foods, pet food, flowers, and gardening products.
Particular attention was paid to the readability of the shopping experience. Signage, furnishings, checkout counters, and internal flow have been redesigned to make the store easier to navigate, with wider aisles and greater visibility of categories.
At the heart of the offering is the Remarkable Value range, which has grown to 175 products. These everyday items are priced competitively, maintaining M&S's standards for quality, ingredients, sourcing, and animal welfare.
The new Foodhall employs 80 people and includes family-friendly features, such as mini trolleys for children. For the opening, the brand also focused on its most recognizable features, with a large inflatable Percy Pig and shopping bags for its first customers.
Godalming thus becomes the prototype for the new generation of M&S Food: larger surfaces, a comprehensive assortment, and a positioning that seeks to combine quality and value. A format with which the British retailer aims to double its food business and capture a larger share of ordinary spending.
