Asda reveals results of independent taste tests against M&S foods

100s of Asda products voted ‘as tasty or ‘tastier than’ M&S products in thousands of independent blind taste tests

Standout products include Extra Special British Aberdeen Angus Ribeye Steak, Extra Special Lemon Drizzle Cake and Extra Special Madagascan Tiger Prawns

Why compromise on great taste when trying to save on the weekly shop? Asda’s answer: you don’t have to.

In thousands of blind taste tests, hundreds of independent testers compared Asda products to their M&S equivalents. The results revealed hundreds of Asda’s products were voted ‘as tasty’ or ‘tastier than M&S,’ but at a fraction of the price.

This isn’t just food, it’s M&S taste, at an Asda price - proving great tasting products don’t necessarily need to cost extra. All products in Taste Match are better value than the same items at M&S, a retailer with a long-standing reputation for great quality food.

Asda embarked on its Taste Test journey in July, when it nominated a series of stellar products for blind taste testing against luxury retailers such as Harrods, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason, and Harvey Nichols.

Following results that showed an array of Asda products stand up well against their luxury counterparts, Asda's continued to deliver on its commitment to great quality and taste, while reassuring on price, through the launch of its M&S Taste Match campaign.

See below for some of the standout products from the taste testing.

To learn more, visit Asda.com/TasteMatch.

Breakfast bliss 

Crumpet 

The Extra Special Sourdough Crumpets (£1.00/6pk) go down a treat (vs M&S 6 Ultimate Crumpets Made with Sourdough, £1.50), and pair perfectly with the crispy Asda’s Butcher’s Selection Unsmoked Bacon (£2.25) (vs M&S £2.80).

Cheese o’clock 

A French favourite, Asda’s Camembert (£2.00) proved as tasty as its M&S counterpart (M&S Camembert Cheese, £2.90). The smooth and buttery round pairs delightfully with an Extra Special Marmalade.

Dinner is served

The Extra Special Madagascan Tiger Prawns (£5.00) are plump and perfect for a Gambas Pil Pil, served with a baguette and Asda’s smooth Marques Del Norte Rioja Gran Reserva (£12.00 until 15th November) (vs M&S Collection Rioja Gran Reserva El Duque de Miralta, £16.00). 

The prawns were voted tastier than those of M&S and are less than half the price. (M&S Collection Madagascan Extra Large Black Tiger Prawns, £11.00) - making them some seriously sizzling shellfish. Fancy something lighter? 

The delicate and buttery Seabass Fillet (£3.50) is another taste test-approved option (vs M&S Mediterranean Skin On & Boneless 2 Sea Bass Fillets, £5.00), perfect for a Friday supper.

Steak 

Ready to raise the steaks - literally? The pan-fried thick cut Extra Special British Aberdeen Angus Ribeye Steak (£7.50) is dry-aged on the bone for 30 days for depth of flavour which proved to be tastier than the M&S equivalent (M&S Collection British Ribeye Steak Salt Dry Aged 30 Days, £10.00). Perfect served with chips and a rocket & parmesan salad, take steak night to new heights and save 25% by shopping at Asda too!

The perfect dinner pairing, white wine fans can enjoy a crisp, cool sip of the Tuki Tuki Sauvignon Blanc (£8.00) (vs M&S Classics No. 39 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, £10.00).

And last but not least, a meal wouldn’t be complete without a show stopping dessert; Asda’s Extra Special Lemon Drizzle Cake is made with zesty lemon curd with a Sicilian Lemon infused sponge. What’s more, the cake will be reduced to only £2* until 29th October, meaning customers can save over 40% when shopping at Asda compared to M&S (vs M&S Lemon Drizzle Cake, £3.65).

To learn more, visit Asda.com/TasteMatch.

M&S announces massive Newcastle store transformation with £13 million investment in North East

Today, M&S announced a £13 million investment in its North East stores for the coming year, with confirmation the interior of the retailer’s Northumberland Street store will be transformed in a top-to-bottom, multi-million pound redesign, offering Newcastle city centre shoppers the very best of M&S with a fresh-market style Foodhall and a new, refreshed Clothing, Home & Beauty department.

Works at the M&S Newcastle store, which has been a fixture of the city’s high street since it first opened its doors way back in 1932, will begin later this month. The redesign will be undertaken in stages so the store will be able to remain trading, serving customer as normal throughout, with the new Foodhall expected to be fully finished later this year. Improvements to the Clothing, Home & Beauty department will follow and be completed by early next year, 2024.

The news follows the announcement the retailer is set to open a brand-new, bigger M&S store at the Galleries Retail Park in Washington. The exciting new store will offer customers a bigger and better range of M&S products than ever before, with the retailer relocating from its existing Simply Food store into a 47,000 sq ft space with a new Clothing, Home & Beauty department and a bigger M&S Foodhall, almost double the size of the current store.

Construction work is already happening to bring together three previously separate units on the Galleries Retail Park to create the special new space. 

Ahead of the relocation, the existing M&S Simply Food store in Washington will stay open as normal until the new story is ready, expected to be next spring, 2024. There will be chances for all colleagues working in the current store to transfer to the new M&S Washington Galleries or other local M&S stores and M&S confirms the new store will create extra new jobs for the local community when it opens in 2024.

The £13 million announcement follows investment in the North East by M&S last year to update its store in Newcastle’s Silverlink Shopping Park and the M&S Foodhall in Gosforth.

M&S has 21 owned stores throughout the North East, spanning the region from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Teesside, supporting over 2,100 jobs in local communities, plus an additional 6 M&S stores in hospitals and travel settings including rail and fuel stations. 

This latest round of investment will enable M&S to reach even more customers in the North East, delivering the very best of M&S with the latest store designs and new in-store technology.

Helen Cowie, who is the Regional Manager for the North East at M&S, said: “M&S has been a part of local communities across the North East for well in excess 100 years, and throughout that time we’ve always been innovating to keep delivering an excellent shopping experience for our customers, be it the opening of one of our first ever Penny Bazaars in Newcastle’s famous Grainger Market in 1895, or launching our first ever shopping centre site in the country at the Metro Centre back in 1986.  

“We’re proud to have been trading from our store on Northumberland Street since 1932. Over the years we’ve undertaken plenty of refurbishments and extensions to make sure the store keeps delivering for local customers and today’s investment – as well as our plans for an exciting new store at Washington Galleries – shows that we’re as committed as ever to offering shoppers in the North East the very best of M&S.”

M&S Food investing in more price locks for customers

M&S Food is investing in the price of over 200 products as part of its promise to deliver trusted value to its 30 million loyal customers.

The investment will see M&S Food reduce the prices of over 70 family staples and extend its price lock on 150 customer favourites, while upholding its market leading quality and welfare standards at the same time.

M&S Food is cutting the price on some of its more popular cupboard staples to support its customers, especially those with families to buy food for, including products like M&S Select Farms DNA traceable Beef Mince, Avocados, Greek style yoghurt and Ciabatta rolls. 

The above are some of M&S’ more popular lines, with over 400,000 Avocado packs and 140,000 Greek Style Yogurt pots sold by M&S in the last four weeks alone.

At the same time M&S Food is extending its price lock on 150 products which will be in place right through to the autumn, and features a number of essentials that customers can rely on at M&S for great value right through the entire summer.

This includes M&S Select Farms RSPCA Assured outdoor-bred British Pork Sausages (pack of eight - £2.00), Super Sweet Corn on the Cob (pack of two - £1.40), Traditional Coleslaw (225g - £1.25) the price lock bestseller, British Mature Cheddar (10 Slices 250g - £2.80) and Select Farms Season's Gold Potatoes (1kg - £1.65).

The investment sits alongside the retailer’s Remarksable Value range of everyday staples, first launched back in 2019, which are continuously benchmarked against key competitors to guarantee best value for customers. The range continues to grow in appeal among M&S Food customers, with Remarksable sales up 40%, and in over 20% of customer baskets over the past year.

Alex Freudmann, who is the MD at M&S Food said: “We know value is everything to our customers right now, and while they’re looking forward to a great summer, they’re also looking for certainty on spending. Our latest price investment across 200 products upholds our trusted value promise and delivers on that certainty.

“Trusted value means offering the best possible quality at the best possible price. I’m proud we are the number one retailer for farm animal welfare, selling the biggest range of RSPCA Assured products, including our Scottish Smoked Salmon fillets and British Pork Sausages, alongside our DNA traceable Beef mince which has the ability to be traced back to the individual farm and the individual animal."

He went on to say: "We’re determined to keep up the pace for our customers. Our value perception is at its highest point in six years because we're relentlessly focused on price with no compromise to the magic of M&S Food, our market leading product quality, innovation and sourcing standards.”

In February of this year, M&S topped consumer group Which?’s annual supermarket satisfaction survey, achieving the highest overall customer score of 77% and receiving five star ratings for store appearance, customer service and quality of own label and fresh products.

Families prioritise healthy eating

While M&S’ latest Family Matters Index shows the focus on value for families has increased since the beginning of the year, healthy eating is also a growing priority with 30% of families looking to eat more healthily in the coming months.

As part of its investment M&S has dropped or locked the price on over 50 Eat Well products which meet key nutritional values and are given a health seal of approval to help customers feel confident in choosing a balanced diet, from M&S Select Farms Mangetout (260g – cut by 15% to £1.70) to Pineapple Chunks (150g – cut by 15% to £1.70). 

On top of M&S Food’s price investment, the retailer continues to run a number of other value initiatives. For example Sparks helps over 16 million signed up customers make the most of M&S with personalised offers and ‘Ways to Save” emails, while every week one customer in every store receives their shopping for free.

Follow the Flower: M&S launches Eat Well campaign as summer of football approaches kick off

The countdown to the summer of football is in full swing, and today as part of M&S Food’s Eat Well Play Well partnership with the home nations’ football associations, the leading retailer is launching a national campaign to encourage customers to Follow the Flower in M&S stores to spot healthier food choices.  

The campaign features a number of the leading star female players from across the four nations, alongside returning favourite Ian Wright. 

This is the newest step in M&S Food’s Eat Well Play Well partnership with the England, Scotland, Cymru and the Northern Ireland National Football Teams to use the power of football and the influence of some of the UK’s biggest footballing heroes to help families make healthier choices.  

M&S’ latest Family Matters Index recently showing that healthy eating is a growing priority with 30% of families looking to eat more healthily in the coming months, and the campaign encourages customers to Follow the Flower whilst in store.  

M&S recently announced it had reduced or even locked the price on over 50 Eat Well products to support customers in choosing a balanced diet, from M&S Select Farms Mangetout (260g – cut by 15% to £1.70) to Pineapple Chunks (150g – cut by 15% to £1.70). 

Sharry Cramond, who is the Marketing Director M&S Food and Hospitality says: “With a Summer of football ahead of us, we felt it was the perfect time to supercharge our Eat Well, Play Well partnerships with the home nations football teams, show our differentiation to other retailers through the partnership, and really focus on our Eat Well healthy options in store. 

"So, we’ve brought back former England star, and all-round popular legend, Ian Wright to once again star in our TV adverts,  alongside some very familiar footballing faces from all corners of the entire UK." 

Sharry went on to say: “As well as championing women’s football this Summer, our main aim is to help families eat healthier. Through the advert Ian explains our Eat Well proposition and how easy it is to ‘Follow the Flower’ in store for healthier choices. We've got everything in our stores from steaks to sandwiches and cereals, too! Fingers crossed for a Summer of success for Eat Well as well as the England team!” 

The campaign kicked off with an advert on ITV which will run across VOD, YouTube and social across throughout the Women’s World Cup in July and August.  

M&S customers will also see the campaign extensively promoted via M&S Foodhall’s with yellow flower signage throughout, plus selfie stands and kids puzzle sheets to help promote Eat Well and healthy choices.  

England legend Ian Wright added: “Growing up, no one taught me about healthy eating and learning what was and wasn’t healthy came later to me in life. That’s why I’m delighted to be working with M&S Food again on their Eat Well, Play Well campaign. It’s a topic close to my heart and this campaign is all about making healthy eating as easy as possible. 

“We’ve filmed a great new TV ad showing people how to do just that. Plus it features some of our countries best footballers, as we go into a huge summer of women’s football. What's not to love?” 

You can see the advert here:- 

M&S rolls-out braille range including industry-first gift card

Next time you are in M&S buying your special bottle of Merlot, a bottle of bubbly, some fresh vegetables, your M&S tasty ready meals or a nice salad, why not take a look at the gift card section, if you have a blind or partially sighted friend?

Why? Because M&S has launched a first of its kind ‘Happy Birthday’ braille gift card, developed in consultation with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). Joining the gift card is a range of three braille greeting cards, covering different celebrations.

The industry-first braille gift card features an embossed outer sleeve to communicate the ‘Happy Birthday’ message and an embossed gift card enclosed within the sleeve which can be used online or in over 700 M&S stores.

RNIB estimates that in excess of two million people in the UK are living with sight loss, of which 340,000 people are registered blind or partially sighted.

The rollout of the braille range was accelerated following suggestions from five colleagues via M&S’ innovative CEO suggestion scheme.

One of the colleagues who made the suggestion, Elizabeth Abudu, who works as a Team Manager at M&S’ Streatham Hill store was inspired to submit the idea while assisting blind and partially sighted customers who regularly visit her M&S store.

Kathryn Turner, who is Product Development Director at M&S, said: “It's been fantastic to have input from RNIB to bring our new braille designs to life. At M&S, we’re committed to being a great place to shop for everyone. A massive part of that is offering inclusive products that represent the diverse communities we serve, day in day out.

“Our customers are always at the heart of every product we design, and we hope our first-of-its-kind braille gift card and range of greeting cards will make it that bit easier for customers to show their love and appreciation for friends and family members with sight loss.”

Ali Long, who is the Director of Consumer and Business Services at RNIB, said: “We’re delighted to have worked with M&S on their range of braille cards. The rollout of their braille range will make such a difference to their customers who are blind or partially sighted. This is a really positive step in making shopping and the giving of cards an inclusive experience for people living with sight loss.”

It is the latest move in the retailer’s commitment to creating an inclusive and accessible M&S for every customer and colleague. In 2019, M&S became the first UK retailer to introduce the sunflower lanyard scheme for customers with hidden disabilities, as a means of indicating they may need some extra support. The retailer is also marking five years since the launch of its specially made Easy Dressing range of adaptive clothing for children, which has grown to include over 50 products.

Each greeting card and gift card design is plastic-free, made of FSC Certified paper and fully recyclable (customers just need to remove the glue dots from the gift card).

Marks and Spencer latest retailer to lock down prices

M&S Food is investing in the price of over 200 products as part of its promise to deliver trusted value to its 30 million customers.

The investment will see the store reduce the prices of over 70 family staples and extend its price lock on 150 customer favourites, whilst still upholding its market leading quality and welfare standards.

M&S Food is cutting the price on some of its more popular cupboard staples to support its customers, including products like M&S Select Farms DNA traceable Beef Mince, Avocados, Greek style yoghurt and Ciabatta rolls. These are some of M&S’ most popular lines, with in excess of 400,000 Avocado packs and 140,000 Greek Style Yogurt pots sold by M&S in the last four weeks alone.

Also M&S Food is extending its price lock on 150 products which will be in place right through to the autumn, and features a number of essential food items that customers can rely on at M&S for great value right through the summer months.

This includes M&S Select Farms RSPCA Assured outdoor-bred British Pork Sausages (pack of eight - £2.00), Super Sweet Corn on the Cob (pack of two - £1.40), Traditional Coleslaw (225g - £1.25) the price lock bestseller, British Mature Cheddar (10 Slices 250g - £2.80) and Select Farms Season's Gold Potatoes (1kg - £1.65).

This initiative is in tandem with the retailer’s Remarksable Value range of everyday staples, first launched back in 2019, which are continuously benchmarked against key competitors to guarantee the best value for its customers. The range continues to grow in appeal among M&S shoppers, with Remarksable sales up 40%, and in over 20% of customer baskets over the past year.

Alex Freudmann, who is the MD at M&S Food: opined: “We know value is everything to our customers especially at the moment and while they’re looking forward to a great summer, they’re also looking for certainty on spending. Our latest price investment across 200 products upholds our trusted value promise and delivers on that certainty.

“Trusted value means offering the best possible quality at the best possible price. I’m proud we're the number one retailer for farm animal welfare, selling the biggest range of RSPCA Assured products, including our Scottish Smoked Salmon fillets and British Pork Sausages, alongside our DNA traceable Beef mince, able to be traced back to the individual farm and animal."

He went on to say: "We’re determined to keep up the pace for our customers. Our value perception is at its highest point in six years because we relentlessly focus on price with no compromise to the magic of M&S Food, our market leading product quality, innovation and sourcing standards.”

In February this year, M&S topped consumer group Which?’s annual supermarket satisfaction survey, achieving the highest overall customer score of 77% and receiving five star ratings for store appearance, customer service and quality of own label and fresh products.

marksandspencer.com