Marks and Spencer’s is trialling in-store portable mobile phone charging, after selecting battery charging startup ChargedUp as the first startup in its retail technology accelerator programme.

The High Street stalwart will roll out ChargedUp’s battery pack vending machines in eight stores in London, including White City, Bankside, Finsbury Pavement, Fenchurch Street and Paddington.

ChargedUp was selected as the first startup on M&S’ joint venture with the Founders Factory Retail, announced last June, which backs innovative startups in the retail sector.

As part of the six-month accelerator programme, ChargedUp will be able to develop its renewable energy technology with design and data science experts, as well as testing the market in M&S stores.

Daniel Himsworth, Founders Factory lead at M&S, said: “Mobile phones are an essential part of today’s shopping experience and we all know how frustrating a low battery is – the ChargedUp team has a very smart idea to solve the problem and keep shoppers fully charged.”

ChargedUp’s founder and chief executive Hugo Tilmouth added: “As a startup, working with a brand like M&S not only gives us access to the best market insights, but we are incredibly happy that our ChargedUp battery stations will be in several stores next month – which is potentially game-changing for us ahead of our nationwide roll-out.”

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