Marks & Spencer is seeking to win lunchtime customers from Pret A Manger with more grab-and-go food and drink options in its cafes...

The fashion and food giant is making all of the food options sold in its cafes available to grab and go.

Additionally, the retailer, which recently said it was planning to open a clothing-only stores, is training its kitchen staff to speed up their food preparation, as well as improving technology so it is faster for shoppers to place orders.

M&S noted that it had seen a “really encouraging” performance from its new cafes in Dundee and Fosse Park, Leicester, which opened a few weeks ago.

The revamp forms part of M&S’s plans to win over shoppers from rivals like Pret A Manger, as the group explained it was seeking to “build on our position as one of the top high-street cafes”.

The sandwich shop recently scrapped its free drinks and food discount for subscribers as it replaced its subscription scheme with a “new and simpler offer”.

The retailer currently has more than 300 cafe sites across the UK.