WHSmith to roll out hot food options at more than 300 stores following the success of own-brand food-to-go range

The latest roll-out has already been introduced at its Churchill Hospital store and is still in the initial stages.

The store’s own-brand food-to-go range was introduced in May, with branding inspired by the feedback from over a thousand shoppers.

The retailer’s managing director Andrew Harrison said: "We don’t have as much of a cohesive breakfast offer as we'd like, and we know that that is a really important day part.

“Over the next couple of years, we’ll be starting to dial up some of these options. The next year for sure is about optimising what we’ve got.”

Harrison insisted the retailer has no plans of becoming a fast food store but hopes to broaden its options to meet customer’s needs.

He continued: “Don’t get me wrong, we’re not talking about becoming a sort of fast food outlet, it’s just trying to broaden the range of options we can offer our customers.

“Just over 10 years ago we didn’t sell food, we now do 11 million meal deals a year. We sell 80,000 different combinations of products in our meal deals every week.

“That’s the scale we’ve got to. As we look forward, we just want to continue to make sure we understand what our customers’ requirements are and fulfil those needs.”

The company's travel sector accounts for 70 per cent of total sales, with food and drink items featuring in at least half of all purchases.

The chain previously offered meal deals prepared by third-party brands but hopes to introduce its own menu going forward.

It is also collaborating with partners under the Myprotein brand to expand its range of sports nutrition products.

The recent launch of Smith’s Family Kitchen marked the retailer’s biggest offering in its food offering.

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At the time of the launch, in May, Harrison said: “We’re on a mission to offer time-pressed customers all their travel essentials under one roof with a fast and convenient shopping experience.

“With millions of customers turning to WHSmith each year to fuel their journey, we’re making our biggest investment in WHSmith’s food offer since we first started offering chilled food and drinks in our travel stores, more than 10 years ago, with the launch of a new and delicious food-to-go range.

“Working without a team of chefs to tailor our range and ensure we’re using the best-quality ingredient has been fantastic, and the team has done an excellent job with the look and feel of a new brand - it’s a really exciting time for the business.

“We never sit still and we’re constantly innovating to give our customer even more reasons to shop with WHSmith on their travels.”