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Marks & Spencer has launched a new food-on-the-move product following a £900,000 investment from long-term supplier Greencore into a dedicated nut production facility. The new site at the Greencore Northampton 'fortress factory' became operational in January 2026, enabling the production of nut-containing items at scale.

This development reflects the partnership approach between M&S Food and its suppliers to increase manufacturing capabilities and support product innovation within the food-on-the-move category.

Technical Capability and Production Safety

The new facility in Northampton was purpose-built to manage the specific handling requirements of nut-based ingredients. By creating a dedicated environment for these components, the site enables Greencore to manufacture food-on-the-move products containing nuts consistently and safely.

The investment is part of an ongoing initiative to support M&S Food's transformation strategy, which focuses on developing dedicated supply chains to ensure quality and scalability. The facility currently supports the production of the new sandwich range and other recent additions, such as the Bang Bang Chicken Wrap.

Product Innovation

The first product to utilise this new capability is the Chocolate, Strawberry & Pistachio Creme Sandwich. This item builds on the commercial performance of last year’s Red Diamond Strawberry & Creme Sandwich, which recorded sales of over one million units during a five-week period in 2025.

The new product features the following core ingredients:

🍓 British strawberries

🍫 Fairtrade dark chocolate sauce

🥜 Roasted pistachio crème

These are served on cocoa-enriched bread, representing an expansion of the M&S sweet sandwich portfolio.

Partnership Framework

The collaboration is positioned within the M&S 'fortress factory' model, a supply chain framework designed to foster long-term investment in capacity and production standards. This model provides suppliers with the security to invest in infrastructure while allowing M&S to secure the manufacturing volume required to meet consumer demand.

Both organisations are currently assessing further development opportunities for food-on-the-move ranges, identifying additional potential for nut-based ingredients to influence flavour and texture in future product pipelines. The new sandwich is available in M&S Foodhalls from 24 June 2026.