Machin said the group was investing in kit that could cope with 45C heat as the company was \u201cassuming it\u2019s going to get hotter\u201d. It is understood this includes fridges with doors that help them to stay cool in warmer weather.<\/p>\n
Machin said M&S had also had to order in more ice-cream, prompting one supplier to take on 10 extra staff, after six product lines went out of stock given the pace of demand in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
His comments come after several retailers admitted that refrigeration units struggled to cope with temperatures during June\u2019s heatwave.<\/p>\n
Last week the chief executive of Sainsbury\u2019s, Simon Roberts, said staff and suppliers had been \u201cworking around the clock\u201d<\/a> to ensure the chain\u2019s fridges could cope with the high temperatures. He said Sainsbury\u2019s was investing \u201chundreds of millions of pounds\u201d in new refrigeration kit, with about 100 stores getting upgrades.<\/p>\n The UK is expected to experience more spells of extremely hot weather as a result of the climate crisis<\/a>, so businesses are racing to adapt. In May, the Climate Change Committee said the UK<\/a> was \u201cbuilt for a climate that no longer exists\u201d and needed urgent changes<\/a> to survive global heating.<\/p>\n Machin also reassured shareholders at the annual meeting that M&S was investing more in security measures amid concerns about a rise in retail crime.<\/p>\n He said M&S had invested millions of pounds in increasing the number of security guards employed through a third party, with those workers \u201ctrained in how to treat customers\u201d, including saying hello and goodbye.<\/p>\n
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