M&S CEO Pays Tribute to Northern Ireland’s Food and Drink Industry at Belfast Dinner

Marks & Spencer Chief Executive Officer Stuart Machin has praised Northern Ireland’s thriving food and drink industry, highlighting the region’s exceptional contribution to the retailer’s success across the UK.

Speaking at the Northern Ireland Food & Drink Annual Dinner in Belfast last night — marking the first time an M&S CEO has addressed the event — Mr Machin celebrated local producers, long-standing partnerships, and announced major new investment plans for stores across Northern Ireland.

M&S first opened its Belfast store in 1967 — at the time, the most publicised opening in the company’s history — attracting more than 120,000 visitors on its first day.

Today, the retailer operates 22 owned stores and four franchise outlets in partnership with SSP and Applegreen, employing over 2,100 staff, some of whom have worked with the company for more than four decades.

Local Produce at the Heart of M&S

In his keynote address, Mr Machin showcased how M&S customers could enjoy an entire day’s menu made exclusively from Northern Ireland suppliers.

For breakfast, he highlighted partnerships with:

• Skea Eggs Farm (Dungannon, Co. Tyrone), which supplies over 189 million eggs annually;

• Finnebrogue Artisan (Downpatrick, Co. Down), which has produced all of M&S’s premium sausages — including vegetarian options — since 2009;

• Hovis (Belfast), which supplies soda and potato bread;

• David Irwin, a dairy farmer from Dervock, Co. Antrim, who has supplied M&S for over 25 years; and

• Avondale Foods (Craigavon, Co. Armagh), producer of M&S overnight oats and Brainfood breakfast pots.

For lunch, Around Noon (Newry) provides sandwiches made locally for M&S stores across the UK.

For dinner, M&S works with Linden Foods (Dungannon) — sourcing beef and lamb from more than 1,200 M&S Select Farms — and Gilfresh Produce (Loughgall, Co. Armagh), which supplies a wide range of vegetables including carrots, broccoli, leeks and pumpkins.

Desserts are also proudly local, with Genesis Bakery (Magherafelt, Co. Derry) producing Lamingtons and over 20 bakery products for M&S.

Major Store Investment for 2025

Mr Machin also revealed that 2025 will mark the biggest year of M&S store investment in Northern Ireland in two decades, with over 30% of stores set to be in renewed or brand-new formats by the end of the year.

The flagship Craigavon store, due to open in November 2025, will become the first M&S outside England to feature in ITV’s “Inside M&S at Christmas”, which will air in December.

“Our Commitment Has Never Wavered”

Mr Machin said:

“Northern Ireland is a really important market for M&S. We have a deep-rooted connection with our customers here, as well as our supply partners who help us provide innovative and quality products locally and across the UK.

“We also have over 2,000 brilliant colleagues who have enabled us to grow grocery sales in Northern Ireland by nearly double-digits year on year – more than any other retailer.”

He added:

“We’ve been serving Northern Ireland’s communities for nearly 60 years, and our commitment has never wavered. I see a big opportunity for more investment as we plan for the next 60 years – and beyond.”