Marks & Spencer news and archive

Marks & Spencer 13-week Christmas trading sales rise, confident for rest of year

Retail major Marks and Spencer Group Plc reported Thursday that its 13-week Group sales during Christmas trading increased 5.6 percent from last year to 4.06 billion pounds with growth in UK and ROI region. Looking ahead, the company said it is confident of making further progress in the remainder of the year. In its Christmas trading update,...

PeopleFeatured

Fashion’s finest honoured in New Year List: A celebration of innovation and sustainability

The New Year Honours list, unveiled this week, spotlights luminaries from the fashion and retail world, celebrating a spectrum of achievements spanning business acumen and sustainability-driven innovation. The annual tradition, designed to commend extraordinary contributions to society, has resonated deeply within the fashion sector this year,...

Retail

Marks & Spencer receives government backing for Marble Arch demolition

After years of back-and-forth legal matters, British department store giant Marks & Spencer’s has finally received approval from the secretary of state to demolish its Marble Arch location. With this backing, Marks & Spencer will be able to move forward with its redevelopment for the store, plans of which had first been submitted back in March...

Business

M&S pledges to support 2,000 young people into work

British retailer Marks & Spencer is celebrating 20 years of Marks & Start, its employability programme in partnership with The Kings Trust, to commit to training and supporting a further 2,000 young people over the next three years. The commitment is part of M&S’ multi-year strategy with The King’s Trust, as new research from the retailer...

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Marks & Spencer design head on incoming trends and how it builds collections

As the new year fast approaches, retailers are continuing to prep for the upcoming SS25 season. A one that promises wide-ranging shifts in both the needs and tastes of customers, who are tightening their wallets while yielding to the revolving format of micro and seasonal trends. It's a juxtaposition that presents an interesting challenge for...

FashionFeatured

Watch: From hero gnomes to stylish goats, all the festive fashion films to know for 2024

It’s that time of the year, again. Brands and retailers across the globe have begun unveiling their always highly anticipated festive campaigns. This season, trends seem to revolve around flipping the script on the stress usually associated with the season; incorporating well-known (animated) figures into the storyline; and proposing new...

BusinessFeatured

M&S posts 17.2 percent growth in H1 profit

For the first six month period, Marks and Spencer (M&S) recorded a pre-tax profit increase of 17.2 percent to 407.8 million pounds, while statutory pre-tax profit rose to 391.9 million pounds. The company’s clothing & home sales increased 4.7 percent, with LFL sales up 5.3 percent. Sales growth improved by 8.1 percent in the second quarter, with...

Retail

Marks & Spencer to add self-service checkouts to fitting rooms

British department store retailer Marks & Spencer is in the process of adding self-service checkouts to its fitting rooms in order to create a smoother transaction process. “We’d like customers to be able to walk straight into the fitting room with no queue, try on what they’ve chosen then pay there and just walk out,” Marks & Spencer operations...

Business

Marks & Spencer eyeing Midlands warehouse in preparation for ‘sales boom’

British department store Marks & Spencer is said to be eyeing up a “jumbo-sized” warehouse in the Midlands in anticipation of a potential online sales boom. This is according to the Telegraph, which said that the retailer was exploring a deal for a new one million square foot warehouse, yet a firm decision for the property has not been made. The...

BusinessFeatured

Cascale Meeting: Sustainable transformation requires patience

Around 600 corporate social responsibility (CSR) executives from the global textile industry gathered in Munich for Cascale’s annual member meeting. Representatives from major brands and retailers - from LVMH to Zalando, Marks & Spencer and Walmart - took to the stage and filled the audience to exchange progress and challenges on the path to...

Retail

Marks & Spencer to trial fashion-only store amid clothing resurgence

British high street giant Marks & Spencer could be pivoting its retail strategy as it looks to trial its first fashion-only store at the Battersea Power Station. Situated in London, the location would aim to primarily target younger shoppers in response to an increase in sales among the consumer group, as was stated to The Telegraph, which...

FashionFeatured

M&S plans to grow market share in kidswear with baby club launch

British high street retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) is looking to grow its market share in kidswear and attract more family shoppers with the launch of its first-ever baby club. ‘The Parent Hood’ is exclusive to members of M&S’ loyalty programme, Sparks, and is part of M&S’s mission to become “more relevant, more often to family shoppers” by...