Marks & Spencer and BP are to trial eight Marks & Spencer Simply Food concepts in BP Connect forecourt sites, starting in autumn 2005.

The eight trial stores will provide customers with a selected range of Marks & Spencer’s high-quality fresh food ranges, including ready meals, fresh produce, sandwiches, wine, flowers and basic groceries alongside BP’s Wild Bean Café, multi-branded impulse and Ultimate fuel offers.

Stuart Rose, Marks & Spencer’s chief executive, said: “We open a new Simply Food store on average every 10 days in convenient locations such as high streets and railway stations. This trial with BP is a great opportunity to investigate the potential for further expansion.”

Graham Sims, retail director at BP UK, said: “We are delighted to be working together. By combining the strengths of the market-leading Marks & Spencer fresh foods with BP’s award-winning Wild Bean Café, quality fuels and multi-branded impulse offer, we are testing the creation of a unique

customer experience.”

The trial between Marks & Spencer and BP followed the completion of a project by srcg, the Richmond-based global leader in convenience retailing

solutions. BP, having acknowledged the gap in its Fresh Food offer, asked srcg to review all the available options, resulting in srcg facilitating an initial

meeting with Marks & Spencer. In addition the company has provided support to BP throughout the discussions between the two companies.