The retailer has joined with start-up ChargedUp, which lets users rent a powerbank to charge their phones. They can then drop it back at any station across the network when they’ve finished.

Vending stations will be installed in eight M&S stores across London – Pantheon, White City, Bankside, Victoria Cardinal Place, Fenchurch Street and Finsbury Pavement. They are already in place in M&S Merchant Square Café and Waterside Simply Food based at the firm’s Paddington headquarters.

ChargedUp, which has been dubbed the “Boris Bikes of phone charging”, currently has 250 stations across London and has over 20,000 active users.

Prices start from 50p for 30 minutes and go up to £3 for 24 hours.

The new initiative is part of M&S’s tie-up with Founders Factory, a platform that helps launch or scale up start-ups.

Daniel Himsworth, Founders Factory lead at M&S, said: “We think ChargedUp is a great start-up business. 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. We look forward to working with them.”

ChargedUp’s founder and chief executive Hugo Tilmouth said: “We are delighted to have been selected for the M&S and Founders Factory Retail programme.

“As a start-up, 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. We can’t wait to see M&S customers using our batteries.”

How it works

Users rent a powerbank from one of 250 vending stations across the capital.

They charge their phone and then drop the powerbank back off when they’ve finished, at any station across the network.

Customers can use the ChargedUp app to find their nearest location. They scan the QR code on the unit to release the battery.

The ChargedUp batteries work on all phones.