The M&S strawberry sandwich that went viral last summer (over a million sold in five weeks) is back on shelves. A personal favourite of mine, however divisive it seems to be on here.
But the more telling move is what's sitting next to it: a new Chocolate, Strawberry & Pistachio version, timed for Wimbledon. And getting nuts into a food-to-go line at scale isn't trivial — it took a dedicated £900k facility from supplier partner Greencore to make it happen.
And it's not just the ingredients. Getting that perfect cross-section — strawberries lined up so every slice shows a clean, even cut — is its own production challenge at scale. The detail that makes it look effortless is exactly the bit that isn't.
That's the real lesson. A viral hit gives you a season; continuous innovation is what turns it into a franchise. Standing still on last year's success would have been the easy option — instead they've built new capability just to extend the idea.
So what would you want to see next year? I'd love a white strawberry or white chocolate to make an appearance. Hopefully anything is possible.