Marks & Spencer has unveiled its new-look eco store in Newcastle, billed as one of the most important stores in its estate.
The 130,000 sq ft Northumberland Street outlet is the first major full-line store to undergo the changes.
It comes hard on the heels of four Simply Food refits last year in Epping, Essex; Slough, Berkshire; Heswall, Merseyside; and Oswestry, Shropshire.
The transformation forms part of the retailer’s Plan A eco and ethical programme “to become the world’s most sustainable retailer”.
Eco features include a 547 ft “green living wall”, comprising 16,000 plants, to help insulate the building and encourage biodiversity, offering a source of nectar for butterflies and bees and seeds for birds. A rooftop rainwater harvesting system will irrigate the wall.
LED lighting, as promoted by The Grocer’s Switch the Lights campaign, will be installed into all refrigeration display cases, and a heat pump installed to reclaim waste heat generated from fridges. The heat generated from the pump is then distributed to the food hall.
Mobile fridges have been replaced with energy-efficient units connected to the main refrigeration plant.
The shop is also trialling intelligent door sensors that can differentiate between passers-by and shoppers intending to enter the store. Over-door heaters provide an air curtain between the shop and outside, helping retain warmth within the food hall.
Mike Barry, director of Plan A, said the green wall was “a real standout”.
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