Glasgow locals Calum Hunter and Joe Reade are both members of Strathclyde University’s basketball team and both work at M&S’ Argyle Street store alongside their studies. The store is preparing to welcome athletes and visitors to Glasgow for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with Calum and Joe excited to cheer on the athletes in their home city.
The Commonwealth Games are set to kick off on Thursday, 23 July. To mark the opening and closing of the Games, M&S Argyle Street customers can expect a warm welcome from Percy Pig at the entrance, as well as a pop-up Taste of Scotland station in-store. Customers will also be treated to live cooking demonstrations at the in-store sushi bar.
M&S partners with 4,000 Scottish farms, sea farms and fishing vessels, and M&S’ exclusive supplier of Scottish free-range eggs, Duncan Farms, has been named as the official egg provider for this year's Commonwealth Games.
At the M&S Argyle Street Taste of Scotland station, customers can enjoy samples of delicious, locally sourced produce from a selection of these suppliers, including fresh Scottish strawberries and tasty crisps from Taylors Snacks of Perth.
As passionate basketball players, Calum and Joe are drumming up excitement for the Games among the store team. Joe first joined a basketball club aged four and has played ever since. He said: “It was my grandpa who got me into basketball. He’s from Brooklyn and played basketball at college in America. He bought me a hoop as soon as I was able to walk and I’ve been playing ever since.”
At Strathclyde University, Joe plays for the Men’s Basketball 1st team, which has seen him travel to universities across the UK, such as Manchester and Loughborough, to compete. Calum plays and coaches the 2nd and 3rd teams and is also the team treasurer.
Speaking about his love of the game, Calum said: “I do enjoy playing and watching basketball, but it’s the connections and friendships that you make off the court that I love most. It’s a really tight knit community in basketball, so we know the players who are going to be representing Scotland in the 3x3 basketball at the Commonwealth Games and we’ll absolutely be cheering them on.”
At M&S Argyle Street, Calum mainly works at the Travel Money bureau, having joined the team two years ago. He is also a store first aider and plays an active role in representing colleagues in store.
Calum said: “It’s a great environment in the Argyle Street store and there’s a lot of camaraderie among the store team. I find it a very rewarding job, particularly when a customer comes in and you help them find what they’re looking for – it’s nice to help make someone’s day a bit better.”
Speaking about the Commonwealth Games, Joe said: “It’s great that the store is planning to celebrate the Games, and get people geared up for it. It should bring a good buzz to the city and hopefully it will get more people watching sports and excited about sports, so I’m really looking forward to that."
Calum added: “Percy Pigs have always been one of my favourite M&S products, so I’m particularly excited to meet my icon at the store entrance in a few weeks’ time.”
Grant Henry, Store Manager for M&S Argyle Street, said: "Our store is fortunate to be located right in the heart of the city, and it will be fantastic to see Glasgow come to life for the Commonwealth Games and welcome the athletes. It was only fitting that we do something special to mark the occasion, and I'm so proud of our team for getting stuck in and organising some fantastic celebrations for our customers.
As we have lots of passionate sports fans on our team, like Calum and Joe, the Games are all the more exciting.”
-ENDS-
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