The packaging-free refillable grocery concept Fill Your Own, first introduced in December 2019, is being added to eight more stores and the product range will be expanded.

Currently offering over 60 lines of refillable groceries – including pasta, rice, cereal, nuts, frozen foods and bake-at-home items – the Fill Your Own range was previously launched in Manchester, Hedge End and Staines Two Rivers. The latest stores to feature Fill Your Own include its test and learn format locations at Lisburn, Stratford City London, Sears Solihull, Gyle, Vangarde Monks and Wolstanton Stoke. By mid-June, the range will also appear in the Aintree and Meadowhall stores.

The Fill Your Own scheme was designed to support the retailer’s plan to reduce and reuse plastic. M&S states it is set to avoid the use of over 300,000 units of single-use packaging over the next 12 months, with over 30% of products outselling packaged versions.

M&S states the concept offers better value per gram compared to packaged alternatives.

Carmel McQuaid, head of sustainable business at M&S, said Fill Your Own had proved hugely popular with customers.

“Importantly, Fill Your Own is helping our customers – and our business – to reduce and reuse plastic and this initiative has the potential to save thousands of units each year,” she said. “As our customers have navigated this completely new way of shopping, we’ve continued to test, learn and adapt the scheme based on their feedback and now we’re ready to expand it to more locations and introduce new product lines.” 

“In addition, the Fill Your Own range will be expanded to nearly 100 lines by the autumn.”