Applegreen is set to open 20 new M&S Food stores this year as part of a major expansion of its partnership with Marks & Spencer.

One of Ireland’s largest roadside hospitality brands, Applegreen, will make a multi-million-euro investment in the further roll out of the M&S Food partnership this year.

Each of the 20 new “shop-in-shop” Applegreen locations will undergo a bespoke upgrade to introduce the M&S brand.

The expansion means that by the end of the year, Applegreen will be operating 41 M&S Food stores across the island of Ireland.

The company also has plans to further expand the network to 60 outlets in the medium term.

Each new outlet will feature a range of more than 400 M&S Food products, alongside the existing Applegreen business.

Applegreen Ennis, County Clare, which has recently opened it's M&S Food Store addition. Image: Applegreen

The first of the new M&S Food at Applegreen outlets opened in Ennis, County Clare, earlier this month.

“Our partnership with M&S has been working really well over the past two years, and we’re delighted to be bringing M&S Food at Applegreen to 20 additional locations this year,” Head of M&S Operations at Applegreen Mark Ryan said.

“The expansion of our M&S Food partnership is one of the key elements of our growth plans in the Irish market, alongside further investment in our Braeburn Coffee brand, and significant investment in new and upgraded sites.

“We have a hugely dedicated Applegreen team working on our plans to deliver another 20 new M&S Food stores this year and we also have significant support from our partners in M&S.”

All of the new M&S at Applegreen outlets will also offer a click and collect service for M&S Clothing and selected home products.

Applegreen Ennis, County Clare, which has recently opened it's M&S Food Store addition. Image: Applegreen

Country Director for M&S in Ireland and Northern Ireland Eddie Murphy said the expansion is “terrific news” for M&S customers across Ireland.

“We're bringing our trusted quality and delicious M&S Food range to even more locations, offering great value and convenience as part of this growing partnership with Applegreen,” he said.

“We’re particularly excited to be extending our Click & Collect service to these new stores, making it even easier for customers to access our clothing and home ranges.”

Each M&S Food at Applegreen outlet will carry an extensive range of M&S products, including ready meal options for lunch and dinner, sandwiches, fruit, salads, and fresh flowers.

Popular M&S Food favourites such as Percy Pig sweets, cookies and Colin the Caterpillar cakes will also be available in Applegreen stores. 

Main image: Applegreen Ennis, County Clare, which has recently opened it's M&S Food Store addition. Image: Applegreen