M&S invests in fridges that can cope with weather as hot as 45C

Marks & Spencer is investing in refrigeration equipment that can cope with weather as hot as 45C as the climate crisis is expected to drive regularly higher temperatures in the UK.

“There is no doubt we were struggling in the nine days of [recent] extreme heat,” Stuart Machin, the chief executive of the food, fashion, beauty and homewares retailer, told shareholders at the group’s annual meeting in London on Tuesday.

Last month the UK recorded its hottest June day ever with provisional highs of 37.7C , nearing the highest ever recorded temperature, in 2022, of 40.3C . A third heatwave of the summer will arrive this week, the Met Office said on Monday.

Machin said the group was investing in kit that could cope with 45C heat as the company was “assuming it’s going to get hotter”. It is understood this includes fridges with doors that help them to stay cool in warmer weather.

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