Marks & Spencer news

M&S will close nine of its stores across three different formats this year as it focuses on optimising its estate. Closures focused on general merchandise stores Three of the nine M&S stores to close are full-line stores in Stevenage (Hertfordshire), Wood Green (NO London) and Caste Bromwich (West Midlands). In addition, M&S will close five outlet stores across the UK as it manages sto...

John Dixon, executive director of GM at M&S, has decided to step down from the retailer to take up a role as CEO at another company. Dixon leaves behind struggling GM business John Dixon has resigned from M&S after being given the opportunity to be CEO at another company, which remains to be disclosed. He has stepped down from the M&S board with immediate effect since resigning, howeve...

M&S has reported encouraging first quarter trading with group sales up by 1.8%, driven by strong performance in food and online. Food: performing well in a competitive market Total food sales at M&S grew by 3.2% in the 13 weeks to 27 June 2015, driven by new store openings as LFL results showed slower growth at 0.3%. M&S's position as a premium and specialist food retailer continues to set...

Marks and Spencer has opened its largest franchise store in partnership with SSP in London's Waterloo station following an extensive refit to increase sales space.      Refit of a key UK travel location The new M&S store is located in the heart of the station where an M&S Simply Local was previously located. Post refit, the store spans 9,500 sq ft (883 sq m) over two floors, with ...

As IGD launches its new year five year market and channel forecasts, Nick Gladding outlines the thinking behind the new projections and the implications for suppliers. The road to 2020 Over the next five years, IGD expects the UK grocery market to increase in value by 13.0% to £200.6bn, with growth picking up through the period from a low of 1.7% in the year to April 2015 to 2.7% in 202...

While retailers and manufacturers continue to compete on price, there are companies who are looking to deliver added value for shoppers without cutting prices. We consider five of the levers that are being used to offer added value, which we expect to see more of in 2015 and beyond. This article was written by Harriet Cohen,...

Store numbers across the convenience channel continue to rise, with many groups and retailers adding a considerable number of new sites over the latest 12 months, according to the latest data from IGD Retail Analysis and William Reed Business Media. However, further growth was moderated by rationalisation amongst certain retailers. Number of stores 2014 Number of stores 2...

M&S has reported positive group sales for the year to 28th March 2015 with encouraging results in food and strong pipeline to expand its convenience estate. Group results in brief Group sales: +0.4% to £10.3bn , driven by a strong performance in food Food sales: +3.4% (+0.6% LFL) , with M&S delivering against being more specialist and focusing more on quality and innovation ...

M&S Q4 results for the 13 weeks to 28th March 2015 show total group sales up 1.9%, a significant turnaround on Q3's -1.6%. M&S enjoys record Valentines Day The food business is showing healthy growth with sales up 3.7% and positive like-for-like sales at 0.7%. The strong performance compared to the rest of the market has been boosted by record Valentines Day sales and 350 new lines as th...

Q1 2015 has seen some major changes to several UK retailers' senior teams as the grocery industry faces yet another challenging year. Here we summarise the most significant changes. Asda Asda CEO and president Andy Clarke has streamlined his senior team by promoting existing directors to drive forward the strengthening the Asda brand: Barry Williams has been promoted to chief...