Marks & Spencer has said it is investing in refrigeration equipment capable of coping with temperatures as high as 45C, after admitting its fridges struggled during recent extreme heat in the UK. Chief executive Stuart Machin told shareholders at the retailer's annual meeting in London that the company was "assuming it's going to get hotter", reflecting how businesses are being forced to adapt as the climate crisis drives more frequent high temperatures.

The move follows the UK's hottest June day on record, with provisional highs of 37.7C, and a third heatwave of the summer forecast this week. M&S also had to order extra ice-cream after six product lines sold out, with one supplier taking on 10 additional staff. Rival Sainsbury's has likewise pledged "hundreds of millions of pounds" to upgrade fridges in around 100 stores. At the same meeting, Machin outlined further investment in security to tackle rising retail crime and petty theft at self-service tills, and changes to clothing ranges to broaden their appeal.