This summer the food retailer is giving local football fans the chance to start collecting limited edition stickers of their favourite Northern Ireland football heroes like Conor Bradley, Justin Devenny and Simone Magill.

The collection includes 50 stickers featuring players and managers, alongside an accompanying album packed with quizzes, player facts and nutritional tips designed to inspire the next generation of footballers. The official album is available for £3 in M&S stores across Northern Ireland, while customers will receive a free pack of stickers for every £20 spent in store.

The launch forms part of M&S Food’s ongoing partnership with the Irish FA, alongside its counterparts in England, Scotland and Wales, which has been in place since 2022. The collaboration uses the power of football to help families make healthier choices.

The ‘Eat Well, Play Well’ campaign connects the eating habits of Northern Ireland’s footballing heroes with their performance on the pitch, promoting positive, relatable health messages for kids in a way that’s engaging, relatable and drives change.

Helping launch the limited-edition sticker collection, Northern Ireland football legend Aaron Hughes said: “There’s something timeless about Panini stickers – they’ve always been part of football culture. To now see Northern Ireland players featured like this is a brilliant moment for the game here.

MAKING POSITIVE CHOICES

“For young fans, it’s a fun way to connect with the players they look up to, but it also ties in with an important message around staying active and making positive choices. That’s what makes this campaign really meaningful.”

M&S is also encouraging the swapping of stickers with others in their area, helping to build a sense of community around the campaign.

Ryan Lemon, Regional Manager of M&S Northern Ireland, added: “We’re delighted to partner with Panini and the Irish FA to bring this exclusive sticker collection to our customers across Northern Ireland.

“Football has a unique ability to connect generations, and this campaign taps into that in a really positive way – combining the excitement of collecting with an important message around healthier lifestyles.

“Through Eat Well, Play Well, we’re creating a fund and engaging way for families to connect with local players while encouraging young people to make positive choices both on and off the pitch.”

Eat Well is M&S’s health seal of approval, found on thousands of products to help make healthier choices easier. Every product featuring the Eat Well flower offers a health benefit and supports a balanced diet.

For more information on the M&S Food ‘Eat Well, Play Well’ campaign visit www.marksandspencer.com/football

The post M&S and Panini launch exclusive Northern Ireland football sticker collection first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

As it picks up the pace on renewing its store estate, the retailer is searching for large sites that could stock the full range of M&S Food, targeting areas where there isn’t currently an M&S store.

With 20 stores opening or renewing before the end of the financial year, creating 800 new jobs, the retailer said unlocking new sites will help deliver the plan to modernise and rotate the M&S store estate to a footprint of 180 full line stores and 420 Food stores.

All of the new stores would be in the new renewal format, with an extended range of M&S Food, wider aisle for bigger shopping trolleys and larger car parks for more family shoppers. Over the half of the stores across the estate, including convenience stores, are expected to be in the renewal format by April 2028.

Managing Director at M&S Food, Alex Freudmann said: “The strong performance of our new M&S Food stores gives us the confidence to explore even more locations across the UK.

“Our team want new sites where we could open a large M&S Food store as we deliver on our strategy to bring the right stores to the right places and offer the best shopping experience, range and availability for our customers.”

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CEO of the retailer, Stuart Machin issued a statement saying they had written to customers to inform them that information had been taken and thanked them for their ongoing support.

The retailer revealed that personal data taken could include details including names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, online order history, household information and ‘masked’ payment card details used for online purchases.

Additionally, anyone who has or previously had an M&S credit card or Sparks Pay, their customer reference numbers could also be included.

They added there is no indication that the information has been shared, and Machin said that no useable card or payment details or account passwords were taken, and customers do not need to take any action.

The retailer has endured a raft of difficulties since the cyber incident at Easter, with many services struggling to return to normal. Online orders are still suspended, customers are facing empty shelves in stores and appeals have been made for consumers to show their support for the High Street giant by visiting stores.

“To give customers extra peace of mind, they will be prompted to reset their password the next time they visit or long onto their M&S account and we have share information on how to stay safe online,” said the statement.

“Everyone at M&S is working around the clock to get things back to normal for our customers as quickly as possible, and we are very sorry for any inconvenience they have experienced. Our stores remain open as they have throughout.”

M&S has not revealed how many customers have been affected or have had their data stolen, but it said it has reported the case to the relevant authorities and is working with cyber security experts.

It is understood that the hackers, believed to be hacking group Scattered Spider, could still sell or share the data. Analysts have estimated that the incident and ongoing disruption to business could cost M&S millions of pounds each week.

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As part of its plans, it will open 10 new stores and up to 50 renewals, with its new-look Liverpool Street station store reopening on 10^th July, the first ever M&S convenience store at a mainline railway station.

This year, with its franchise partners across the UK, the retailer will open at least 10 new and renew up to 50 convenience stores to contribute further growth to its £1bn convenience business. By the end of this year M&S will be present in more than 40 UK train stations, including two new stores at Ealing Broadway, opened last month, and Belfast, opening in October, as well as in hospitals and airports across the UK.

The renewed Liverpool Street station store is focused on customers shopping for Food for Now, such as sandwiches, salads, bakery and drinks.

Originally opened in November 2001 in partnership with SSP, the Liverpool Street Mezzanine store remains a fantastic example of the retailer’s partnership with SSP. The group specialises in running travel food and drink outlets and the partnership has gone from strength to strength. SSP currently runs 55 franchised M&S convenience stores across rail and air locations, as well as some hospitals.

Alex Freudmann, M&S Food MD said: “Our renewal programme is all about making sure we have the right stores in the right place and with the right space and this applies to our convenience stores as well.

“These stores offer the perfect range for customers on the move looking for sandwiches, salads and snacks to eat now, as well as meals for dinner, such as our infamous Dine In offers. The convenience channel complements our wider business and provides a halo effect, so it’s important that customers have the same fantastic shopping experience.

“The new renewal format for our convenience stores maximises these small spaces to deliver the M&S Foodhall experience for the missions our customers are shopping for as they travel. By renewing and growing our convenience estate, we’ll continue to deliver for our customers however, whenever and wherever they want to shop with us.”

The post New Belfast store to open amidst M&S growth and renewal plans first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

This summer the food retailer is giving local football fans the chance to start collecting limited edition stickers of their favourite Northern Ireland football heroes like Conor Bradley, Demi Vance, Shea Charles and Simone Magill.

The collection features 50 stickers, made up of players and managers, and an album packed with quizzes and fascinating facts about the nation’s football icons, as well as nutritional advice for aspiring young footballers.

M&S Food has had a partnership with the Irish FA, alongside its counterparts in England, Scotland and Wales, since 2022 aimed at using the power of football to help families make healthier choices.

The ‘Eat Well, Play Well’ campaign links the eating habits of Northern Ireland’s footballing heroes to how they play, promoting positive healthy eating messages for kids in a way that’s engaging, relatable and drives change.

Helping launch the limited-edition Northern Ireland football sticker collection, senior women’s international, Demi Vance said: “It’s an absolute dream come true to see myself on a Panini sticker.

“It’s incredible to be part of a campaign that not only reignites that childhood excitement but also promotes health and well-being through football.”

Ryan Lemon, Regional Manager of M&S Northern Ireland added: “This campaign offers a fantastic opportunity to create a fun, engaging way for families and fans to connect with their favourite Northern Ireland players and learn about the benefits of making healthier eating choices.”

The post M&S Food teams up with Panini to launch NI football sticker collection first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.