M&S Simply Food luxury grocery store at Knutsford, situated next to the Southbound staircase on the footbridge. M&S is one of Moto’s most successful partners, and has traded from Knutsford since Dec 2004. It was one of Moto’s first M&S stores they opened, following a successful trail in 2003 at Toddington North. M&S offers customers a premium selection of snacks, drinks and sandwiches. M&S have a greater focus on food products than WHSmith, which also sells travel essentials and books. It’s a fairly small M&S store, and in a bizarre location essentially tucked away by the Southbound stairs. This location means more customers pass WHSmith, and subsequently use them instead of M&S. However, M&S being a highly recognisable food store both in the UK and on the UK motorway network means customers may wish to stop at Knutsford specifically for this store. At most Moto sites, M&S has been installed to replace former Granada stores, such as the Sock Shop, Body Shop and T2, but at Knutsford, M&S went in place of an area which used to be part of the restaurant. Some Moto M&S stores did replace EDC. Most other services with bridge-based food courts, such as Keele or Charnock Richard, tend to position coffee shops/mini supermarkets in lower level extensions, leaving the footbridge solely for fast food units. Oddly at Knutsford, there seems to be a real mix, with the footbridge, & both lower level extensions obtaining a mix of shops, coffee outlets and fast food outlets throughout, making Knutsford feel less organised & rather cluttered. M&S at Knutsford is a clean, cold store & is handy for customers in a rush. M&S do inflate their prices slightly, but not as significantly as WHSmith. Customers are also less likely to notice a slight price inflation due to M&S being an expensive, high quality store which is costly everywhere. Unlike some of Moto’s M&S stores, this Knutsford branch doesn’t have an opportunity to spill out onto a concourse as space outside this shop is rather limited, being the reason my pic is taken so close to M&S’s entrance. A food hygiene rating of 5 is also displayed outside the shop. M&S was fairly quiet during my visit despite Knutsford’s footbridge area being fairly busy. There’s no real reason for this disparity in custom, as M&S isn’t a meal-time specific brand (is used during breakfast, lunch and dinner times). M&S is signposted from both sides of the M6 so motorists are aware of this facility. M&S is also frequently advertised around the site, so customers know where to find it (it’s possibly advertised a bit too much, highlighting that Moto take pride in the brand).

Photo taken on 10/02/2024 by Tom Moon.

Assigned to galleries: Knutsford, M&S Simply Food, M6 (England), Moto