From www.telegraph.co.uk –
Marks & Spencer sales fall again despite ‘Leading Ladies’ campaign – Telegraph. Marks & Spencer’s clothing sales fall 1.3pc, dragging down half-year profits.
The graphic is Helena Bonham Carter in the new Marks & Spencer Christmas advert, in which she plays a wizard
Some of the comments…
- They lost their way when they stopped catering for their core clientele, the middle aged woman. Instead they brought in clothes for young trendy people, trouble was, their clothes weren’t trendy enough to attract them. What woman in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, want to wear sleeveless tops and skinny jeans. Their classic collection is frumpy, we might be long in the tooth but we do like to look fashionable, not teenagers.
- Good, the campaign was largely (yet another) attempt to promote a “diverse” country, and was inevitably produced by a member of the tribe.
- So long as Marks & Spencer associate themselves with filth they deserve to fail.
- I can see Marc Bolan riding away on a white Swan into the not too distant future.
- M&S lost its way years ago and the slow continued decline carries on. Even it’s food sales are down in real terms
- In austerity Britain many just can’t afford to shop there anymore. The choice really is coming down to food or clothes as evidenced by the rise in food banks that middle class families are also using. However find the right charity shop and you can still find M&S branded clothes in very good condition.
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There are numerous problems with M&S that are far more fundamental than whatever filth is being referred to above (have I missed something??)
The first (and in my view the biggest) problem with M&S is the inability to find what you want in a large store without going to every section. They’ve started to create sub brands, and that works to a point, but the store layout is poor and fragmented so how do you now where to find them and which one is really suitable/ aimed at you? Each sub brand has a weak or non-existent personality and no clear value proposition.
Is there any incentive to move around the store? As a minimum they could give inspiration on outfits with displays clearly showing prices and which departments to go to in store to get the elements. And Cross selling is incredibly poor (i.e. accessories – shoes, jewellry, handbags – to entice you to visit those departments).
They also don’t do any really strong promotions (check out GAPS print a discount for limited period promotion) that really grab you to bring you in store. Loyalty scheme? No. Get you to buy more by incentivising you to spend over say £50 get 10% off ? No. Get you coming back with a ‘spend £50 on food 3 times and get a £20 voucher scheme’ (like Waitrose and Morrisons)? No. Even free coffee/ tea vouchers for your next visit to get you back? No. Or even buy in one department and get a discount in another department for that 1 day only. Yes you’ve guessed it – no…
These are basic retailing rules – get em in, get them to spend more at each visit, get them coming back. Simples, or not in this case..