Headline making Marks and Spencer strawberry and cream sandwich becomes social media sensation

Unless you've been living in a cave for the past week, you'll know that M&S has launched a limited edition strawberries and cream sandwich, which is inspired by the viral Japanese fruit sando.

The retailer is laying claim to a social media sensation, including one of its most popular ever posts.

In a LinkedIn post, Kathryn Turner, Director of Product Development at M&S Food, said: "Our Strawberries & Creme Sando landed in-store last week and I'm delighted that it's created such a buzz online and in-store.”

“Thanks to some brilliant innovation, the sandwich has made headlines and generated hundreds of pieces of coverage, including spotlights on national television. We've even seen our socials go strawberry mad, with 12.6 million views and 38.5k likes on Instagram, the sandwich has become our third most liked post ever."

She added: "It's also extremely popular in stores. With over 100k sandwiches sold since launch it has become our best selling sandwich, and it is no surprise that our Wimbledon store is our top seller. And yes, as declared by the British Sandwich Association... it is a sandwich!”

“Let's not forget about the fruit itself. With strawberry season upon us, these brilliant berries fly off the shelves. We sell 4.1 million punnets of our Collection Red Diamond Strawberries every year, that's equivalent to 35.7 million individual strawberries."

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Soclal media will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.