M&S buys new fridges that can cope with heatwave weather after stores ‘struggle’ in 45C
Marks & Spencer is implementing new measures at its food outlets to combat extreme temperatures following significant operational challenges during last month’s heatwave.
The retailer confirmed it was “battling” searing heat that reached 45°C.
Speaking at the company’s annual general meeting in London, CEO Stuart Machin told shareholders that refrigeration units in several M&S stores and food halls had failed due to recent scorching conditions.
The group is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of its cooling systems and is investing in new, more robust equipment, anticipating even warmer weather conditions in the coming years.
Mr Machin said: “There is no doubt that we struggled through those nine days of extreme heat.
“We are now investing in equipment that can cope with 45C temperatures in our stores.
“We are also reviewing our entire cooling system.”
Food stores and supermarkets across the country experienced refrigerator problems during the June heatwave; Meanwhile, temperatures reached a new high of 37.7C in the summer of 1976, breaking the previous June record.
It is estimated that temperatures may rise to 45 degrees or even higher in the future.
The Met Office warned last year that there was a 50:50 chance of temperatures rising to 40°C in the next 12 years as the risk of extreme heat increases with climate change, and that temperatures of 45°C or higher “may be possible” in today’s climate.
The Met Office has announced a “reasonable” forecast for a heatwave in June 2056, showing peaks of 45C in the UK and reaching 40C in the UK for the first time on record in 2022.
The AGM called on M&S to bring its pay in line with the real living wage after it did not meet the criteria following this year’s pay review.
Shareholder activists ShareAction, on behalf of 14 institutional investors, have called on M&S to revert worker pay to a real living wage, which the retailer has previously accommodated for many years.
M&S has increased pay for retail staff by at least 6.4 per cent from April 1, taking wages to £13.41 per hour nationally and £14.74 for those living in London.
This left pay is above the UK-wide national minimum wage of £12.71, but below the real living wage, a voluntary reference point designed to be calculated against the real cost of living, and is currently £13.45 per hour in the UK and £14.80 in London.
Catherine Howarth, ShareAction’s chief executive, said: “We are concerned that the company’s latest pay review has resulted in pay rates no longer matching the real living wage.”
He added: “Investors signing this statement encourage the company to take first steps by strengthening its disclosures in line with shareholders’ expectations and setting a clear path to ensure all employees regain at least a real living wage.”
M&S said that while they appear to be industry leaders on pay, they have faced increasing cost pressures in recent years, such as national insurance contribution increases and new packaging duties of £40 million.
Chairman Archie Norman said the group’s pay could be brought back into line with a real living wage “after next year” but the group “will see how things go”.
Mr Machin also announced the group will open its largest independent food store in Godalming, Surrey, on July 16; It features multi-temperature areas with herbs, organics and fruit, an in-store bakery and a kitchen store.
