Marks & Spencer is to sell its food products in shops in Australia for the first time amid efforts to grow further globally.

The British brand said it has struck a partnership to sell products in Coles supermarket stores.

Bosses have said the group believes there is significant opportunity to grow its wholesale business, targeting new regions globally.

M&S products will sold in Coles stores from Wednesday November 19, with an extended range available for some shoppers online.

The retailer said the deal follows the “success” of its food wholesale partnership with the Target chain in the US.

M&S’s Australian expansion comes after its launched fashion supply agreement with the David Jones department store business in the country earlier this year.

The expansion comes amid renewed focus on international ambitions, having scaled back some of its franchise operations over the past decade, which included store closures in China and France.

Mark Lemming, managing director of international at M&S, said: “With consistent growth in Food in the UK business and strong brand momentum as the UK’s most trusted retailer there is now so much opportunity for us to grow our business globally.

“Wholesale is a relatively new channel for us, but one that provides lots of opportunity to scale, sell and serve our food business to even more customers around the world.”

Anna Croft, chief commercial officer at Coles, said: “We’re excited to join forces with Marks & Spencer to bring their quality food range to Australia, allowing millions of Aussies to savour the very best of British right here at home.”