MARKS AND SPENCER

Marks and Spencer

Marks and Spencer

An investigation of brands and Spencer

INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRM AND ITS INDUSTRY

Marks and Spencer is one of the biggest retailers in the joined Kingdom, and is furthermore renowned as a major retailer trading varied merchandise ranges under their own exclusive brand in more than thirty countries. Customer confidence in the Marks and Spencer emblem continues second to none. According to recent study undertaken by the business, it shows that, in apparel, Mark and Spencer has a clear lead over all its major competitors in the key localities of fit, quality, believe, wideness of variety and customer service.

In November of 2000, brands and Spencer will launch a test of three new lingerie-only outlets in Paris, Hamburg and Dusseldorf. According to industry statistics, Marks & Spencer remains the clear leader in the UK lingerie market, with over thirty percent of the market share. These navigate shops, distinctly labelled 'msl', are conceived to showcase the product variety, taking the very best of brands & Spencer lingerie to the Continent. Moreover, twenty-five percent of the 'msl' range has-been designed exclusively for the continental market (Marks & Spencer PG).

According to David Norgrove, Marks & Spencer boss Director, the new stores evolved by Marks and Spencer "clearly display how we can give customers what they desire in the way they desire it. Today we have both depth of merchandise and a variety of retail formats, so that we can encompass factory outlet shops and designer apparel under the brands & Spencer brand. Our new notion shops convey a broad range of products and services tailor-made for its localized customers but, at the identical time, we are furthermore commencing the European navigate of a expert retail format which builds on our centre strength in lingerie. All of these goods and formats are being in response to customer study, to rendezvous a verified need" (Marks & Spencer PG).

THE COMPETITIVE STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY

The British retailer brands & Spence determined to close its one Edmonton shop, along with fourteen other ones over Canada, with the eight residual shops being shut just one month later. This assessed the finish of brands and Spencer's 26-year run in Canada.

The chain broadcast its Canadian pullout, which will sway only sixteen employees, was a shock for Canadian shoppers. Heritage Mall supervisor Kirby Nishikawa said "the shutdown injures the buying center." (Le Riche, 44, 1999)

Marks and Spencer had about 585 square meters of mall space. "It was the only outlet in the city and it brought in a alallotmentment of people," said Nishikawa. "It's a shame" (44, 1999). The mall is working on a redevelopment plan, said Nishikawa, but no details are ready to be released. But Adam Finn, controller of the Canadian organization of Retailing and Services investigations at the University of Alberta, said the Marks and Spencer pullout doesn't hurt the Edmonton retail picture as much as the Eaton's crisis. Eaton's, another foremost competitor of brands & Spence, had bailed out of the shopping centre ...