M&S sparks deal with electric charging business
Electric charging company bp pulse has struck a deal to bring electric vehicle (EV) charging points to 70 M&S stores.
M&S is already piloting the system at two stores in Maidstone and Southgate, with an ambition to install up to 900 EV charging points, providing up to 40,000 kWhs of charging capacity, within the next two years.
bp pulse, a subsidiary of British Petroleum, says it plans to invest up to £1bn in UK EV charging infrastructure by 2030. bp originally began its EV charging venture with the acquisition of Chargemaster in 2018, which was rebranded to bp pulse.
A combination of ultra-fast (≥150kW) and rapid (≥50kW) charging points will be installed during the roll-out.
bp and M&S’ relationship goes back to 2005, when they first introduced M&S Food stores at bp retail sites. Over 250 bp pulse charge points are available at over 60 bp-operated forecourts which also offer M&S Food.
Sacha Berendiji, director of operations at M&S, said: “EV charging is the latest feature to ensure we have a store estate fit for the future, to help our customers live lower carbon lives. We know that services like EV charging are in demand from our customers”.