Following the launch in September, M&S and urban farming platform Infarm have completed the installation of vertical farming units in a six further stores.
The roll out means a selection of herbs are now freshly grown and harvested in M&S stores across London: Bromley, Ealing Broadway, Kensington, Kings Road, Marble Arch and Stratford City, alongside the launch store site at Clapham Junction.
M&S stated that it had used trading data of its existing fresh herb range to identify the right sites for the first stage of roll out – three of the top five UK stores in terms of sales are included (Kensington, Kings Road and Marble Arch).
Infarm’s technology combines highly efficient vertical farming units with the latest IOT technologies and machine learning, to deliver a controlled eco-system with the optimum amount of light, air and nutrients. It is claimed that each in-store farm unit uses 95% less water and 75% less fertiliser than traditional soil-based agriculture and is capable of producing the equivalent of 400 square meters of farmland.
Joe Erskine, Store Manager at M&S Food Clapham Junction commented: “M&S Food is transforming but as we modernise, we’re protecting the magic and the things customers love about our food – like great innovation and delicious tasting quality products and our Infarm partnership helps us deliver exactly that.
“Our farming unit has been a real talking point since we re-opened in September and is helping change the perception of M&S Food in the local area. The farm brings a feeling of real freshness to our product offer and customers have been keen to discuss its sustainability benefits too. The feedback on the product quality and flavour has been outstanding, with coriander topping the list as our best-selling line in the range.”
Erez Galonksa, CEO and co-founder of Infarm added: “The launch of our partnership with M&S earlier this summer has generated tremendous excitement among shoppers.
“As we expand to several more store locations, we look forward to making Infarm a core part of the fresh, sustainable produce menu available to London’s most demanding, health-conscious consumers.”
