Marks & Spencer food luxury snacks store at Rugby, situated on the main walkway from the entrance to the food court, between Pret and WHSmith. This store opened in 2021 when Rugby first opened. The notable differences between this store and a bog-standard “M&S Simply Food” at other Moto sites is the better quality decor and fewer chillers. It’s a large, dimly lit store which feels very clean and nicely maintained. Everything is organised & this M&S includes their own-brand coffee machines. This store feels more like a farm shop than an M&S. There was lots on offer for Valentine’s Day as my visit was made just before it, we also have a large Percy Pig to the right of the entrance. M&S have operated at Moto sites since 2003 and in 2006, Holiday Which? stated that these M&S stores could be worth driving on the motorway for alone. Motorists have praised M&S for the wide range of ready meals they provide. This positive feedback and increased custom levels just caused by Moto using M&S have caused a knock-on effect with other operators, including Welcome Break using Waitrose and Roadchef using Spar. Signage above the store states M&S food are about quality food and are pleased to be trading at Moto’s brand new site, hence the large “Welcome to Rugby” sign. The store was fairly quiet during my visit, unusually for this M&S. M&S Food is signposted from both directions of the M6, so customers know to expect it.

Photo taken on 12/02/2024 by Tom Moon.

Assigned to galleries: Rugby, Marks and Spencer Food, Moto, M6 (England)