M&S ‘too boring’ 
for birthplace as 
range revamped

But leaving aside the views of “middle aged and rotund stockbrokers” – the words of Shore Capital – how was the new autumn-winter collection received in Leeds, the birthplace of the retailer?

“It’s a bit flat,” said Catherine Shuttleworth, a Yorkshire retail expert.

The managing director of Get Savvy, the Leeds-based marketing agency, questioned just how far outside the “London bubble” the new M&S fashion team ventured when researching what their customers desire.

“Leeds is a really vibrant shopping centre,” Ms Shuttleworth told the Yorkshire Post.

“Briggate is one of the busiest high streets in the UK.

“It’s full of very style-savvy women who know what they want.

“I don’t think this new clothing makes me think Marks is back at the top of the list.”

M&S claimed that it is refocusing its clothing strategy on the values that made the brand famous in an effort to reassert its reputation for quality and style in the high street.

Plans include a move towards “clearer and more compelling” sub-brands with the launch of M&S Collection and improved fashion and design credentials.

John Dixon, executive director of general merchandise said the launch marks more than just the launch of autumn-winter collection.

“It is the culmination of six months of extensive research that has seen us listen to our customers’ views on our brand and build on our heritage,” he added.

“This has reinforced that exceptional quality and confident style should lie at the heart of our clothing proposition and provide the M&S difference that our customers expect from us.

“This is our focus going forward that will reassert our position as a leading, premium fashion retailer.”

Belinda Earl, the new style director, said: “Over the last few months we have learnt that M&S is a brand that should be looking upwards for aspiration and we are determined to do just that.

“Every woman deserves to look great and feel confident in her clothes.

“We are focused on delivering quality, stylish fashions for our customers each and every time they shop with us.”

Ms Earl is a former chief executive of Debenhams and Jaeger.

Customers will begin to see her changes from late July, when the new collections are launched in-store and online.

Marc Bolland, chief executive, said: “I’m really enjoying working with the new team and I am confident that we are taking a step in the right direction by focusing on quality and style.”

But the retailer will face a challenge in winning over the likes of Ms Shuttleworth, whose company works with Adidas, Mars, Unilever and Nestle.

She said: “It’s really hard to shop at M&S because the stores are quite boring. I want to go to Zara and feel like I’m not 45.

“I go to M&S and think I will meet my mother. I’m not ready for that yet.

“My mother is 70 and she’s not ready for it either.”

On the more positive side, analysts at Shore Capital, who attended the launch, said: “We have to say that what we saw was largely quite stylish and elegant, a higher quality of design, cut and fabric that suggests a bolder move to be more exclusive, quite true to M&S’s roots and, basically, quite interesting.”