M&S Cafés begin to reopen for takeaway

Marks and Spencer has revealed plans to reopen 49 café locations across the UK today (14 May). The local cafés will be opening for takeaway hot drinks only, and the chosen locations to open are all based on the café being located next to the in-store Foodhall – meaning customers can pick up a coffee whilst doing their food shop. The re-opening follows a trial at five of the locations, including High Street Kensington Coffee to Go and Maybrook Canterbury. The M&S café team has also prepared “rigorous guidance” for colleagues and will have “extensive signage” for customers so they can pick up their coffee safely. Measures in place include: Protective equipment - Perspex screens will be installed at each Café till Extensive hygiene processes - All colleagues will wash their hands every 30 minutes as a minimum, with additional washing immediately after taking cash payments. Surfaces will be sanitised regularly, with particular attention paid to pinpads, as is done in the rest of the Foodhall. Clear signage - Signs will remind customers about social distancing requirements and guide them on how to move safely through the hot drink-to-go journey. For example, floor markings will show customers where to stand if they need to queue in order to ensure they are 2 metres apart from the next customer. One colleague only – will work behind the counter to ensure social distancing. The colleague will take the payment and make the drink Contactless payment – will be encouraged just like in our Foodhalls through extensive signage. Contactless collection – Hot drinks with the accompanying lid will be placed in the hatch under the screen to allow the customer to pick it up and put on their own lid. The 49 locations are listed below: Anlaby Ashbourne Bankside (Marketplace) Beverley Bishop Auckland Blackrock Bluewater Boucher Rd Belfast Braehead Braintree Brent Cross (Marketplace) Bridge of Don Canary Wharf (Marketplace) Central Falkirk Cheshunt Clapham (Coffee Bar) Congleton Cramlington Dunblane Finsbury (Marketplace) Handforth Dean Conservatory Heathfield Ayr Hedge End (Coffee Bar) High St. Kensington (Coffee Bar)* Inveralmond Kingston (Marketplace) Kingstown Park Carlisle Manchester (Coffee Bar) Marble Arch (Marketplace) Martlesham Heath Maybrook Canterbury* Mayflower Meadowhall Meole Brace Shrewsbury Northallerton One New Change (Marketplace) Pantheon (Marketplace)* Pontarddulais Portfield Chichester Sears Solihull Stratford (Marketplace) Summertown Sweetbriar Norwich Victoria Cardinal Place (Marketplace)* Waterside (Marketplace)* Westbridge Park Stone Whitstable Woodley *trial locations