M&S announces £600m store overhaul in bid to encourage more shoppers

The UK’s biggest clothing retailer, which also sells homewares and upmarket foods, said yesterday it would have 14 pilot stores trading from an overhauled format from October 13.

These stores will have many of the design features of its new store in Westfield Stratford City, east London, which opens today, and a preview store at Kensington, central London, which chief executive Marc Bolland presented to media and analysts yesterday.

The tests are part of a plan unveiled in November to deliver additional UK sales of £1bn-1.5bn over three years.

Mr Bolland said the format would address customer criticism that M&S stores are “not always easy to shop in”, even though his predecessor, Stuart Rose, spent more than £2bn modernising the retailer’s estate.

The new format would be easier to navigate, with improved layouts and signage, and segmented to better showcase the company’s sub-brands, such as Limited Collection, Autograph, per una and Indigo, Mr Bolland added.

Products will be selected and displayed according to local demographics.

M&S’ core clothing brand has been reborn as M&S Man and M&S Woman, and given increased prominence in the new format stores.

Mr Bolland has moved to address the company’s findings that only 20 per cent of customers fully shop at its home department. The offering has been revamped and split into classic, contemporary and design categories.

The CEO also wants to distinguish its food offering, adding 1,000 lines, focussing on ‘Best of British’, while at the same time introducing 100 exclusive international brands, such as Chateau d’Estoublon olive oil and Divan Turkish delight.

The new format also features the reintroduction of deli counters and beefed-up bakery and flowers offerings. “The major thing for us about this journey is to give this feeling back to the brand that it is ‘only at M&S’,” said Mr Bolland.