M&S experienced record-breaking sales in the floral category this year’s Valentine’s, with over 1m bouquets bought in store and online.

Last year the retailer launched an M&S Flower Market and has seen the overall share in flowers and plants increase from 16.3 per cent to 17.1 per cent, according to data from Circana.

The supermarket has been in a partnership with supplier MM Flowers since 2006, which provides a variety of flowers and exclusive lines.

The high-street retailer works directly with breeding houses when selecting and blending seeds which are grown and then picked and sent to a packing facility in Lincolnshire.

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Elizabeth Van Niekerk, head of trading for produce and floral at M&S Food said: “Customers come to us for flowers because they expect exceptional quality, from our £25 Freedom Roses to our trademarked Peony Rose. We’re now transforming the floral category to bring even more innovations to our customers.

“Our transformation is never complete, and we have exciting plans to further develop our long-term partnership with MM Flowers to expand the channels we can offer M&S flowers and bring new and exclusive innovations for years to come.”

This announcement comes as estimates for spending this Valentine’s were forecasted to reach £1.6bn, marking a 12 per cent increase year-on-year.

Additionally, a high number of shoppers traded restaurants for supermarket meal deals on 14 February, according to research from Google.