M&S invests £4M to cut prices across SA-certified organic range

To make organic food more accessible for customers, M&S is investing over £4 million to lower the price of more than 50 products in its Soil Association-certified organic range.

The investment comes as the UK organic market continues to grow, with Worldpanel data showing the category is up 4.4% year on year. M&S aims to double its share of the organic market by making its range more affordable and accessible.

Prices for everyday food items will start from 70p for organic garlic and 90p for organic carrots. Customer favourites including lamb, pasta and potatoes will be added to the M&S Remarksable Value range, which is priced in line with competitors.

Research shows that about a third of M&S customers buy its organic products occasionally, and by investing in lower prices, the retailer aims to attract new people into the category and inspire existing shoppers to visit more frequently.

According to M&S customer insight, over a third of the retailer’s shoppers say they buy more organic food than they did five years ago, highlighting growing interest in the category.

In its larger, newer Foodhalls M&S is rolling out multi-temperature zones for its organic proposition so customers can shop for frozen, chilled and ambient all in one place.  

“We’re on a journey at M&S Food to become a true shopping list retailer, giving customers more reasons to shop with us more often and for more of what they need each week,” explains Alex Freudmann, MD of M&S Food. “Organic is a category with huge potential. That’s why we're investing over £4 million to lower prices on more than 50 organic staples, bringing together trusted M&S quality [and] accredited organic sourcing at great value. It’s another important step in making M&S accessible to more customers while supporting our ambition to grow the food business.”

 By Jane Wolfe, contributor