Marks & Spencer (M&S) is set to double the size of its frozen food range as part of its strategy to grow its food business and attract more families to complete their weekly shop with the retailer.

The expansion begins with an overhaul of M&S's own-brand ice cream offering, which launches this week with 47 “new and improved” products.

M&S said it has introduced 34 new products and upgraded a further 12 lines in the category. These include fruit pops made with 100 per cent fruit juice aimed at children and more premium products such as olive oil ice cream.

The move forms part of a wider strategy to strengthen core family categories. According to M&S, it attracted more than 802,000 additional food customers during the past year, with families accounting for almost half of those new shoppers.

Families also represent around a quarter of all frozen food sales across the UK market.

The retailer has already introduced 31 new frozen lines over the past 12 months, including larger pack sizes and products using less ingredients.

To support the expansion, M&S said it will increase freezer space across its stores by more than 25 per cent. The investment forms part of the retailer's broader store renewal programme, which includes wider aisles, larger car parks and child-friendly features such as mini shopping trolleys.

"More families than ever are shopping at M&S, and as we grow the food business we are focused on making more of the weekly shop feel relevant for them,” said Alex Freudmann, managing director of M&S Food. “Frozen is an important category in that mission, so we are investing to bring customers more choice - starting with a complete transformation of our ice cream range.”

M&S said it will continue to refresh other frozen categories throughout the year,
including frozen fish, bake-at-home products and healthy meal options to ensure more choice for weekly grocery shoppers.

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