Marks And Spencer’s Lost The Plot

[patsyann]

I have used M and S since the Fifties. Something is seriously wrong with the latest collections . There is very little for Ladies of my age . I am a young 81 and I am also speaking about Ladies in their seventies and younger .. All I wanted was a nice pencil skirt and a decent normal Cardigan .Skirts non existent only mini skirts in thick wool or fur .Cardigans thick wool often with no sleeves and long like a dress ,An assistant walked round me fir a skirt . We actually laughed at the skirts I said oh I don’t think so .I want o be able to walk round the store and find things I have normally found and can purchase in store I don’t want to order for delivery to home .Very young customers would not M an S clothes so who is buying these clothes .I think a huge mistake .Too many Jeans galore too . Very few tailored ladies trousers .There used to be a lovely section for older Ladies .Gone .Very disappointed .Hope they get left with vast amounts of insuitable clothes at end is season .Also nothing much for Christmas part clothes fir all ages , Thank heavens food store still good .Interested in opinions .

[teacake44]

I think they've come to the conclusion after 70 years that older people just don't buy to many outfits, well not enough anyhow. Younger ones do, but I think they are still struggling trying to interest the younger customer. I don't think it will be to long before they have to sell food at a price for the masses either.

[pixie374]

I honestly think M&S haven't known their target audience for decades now. They have no aim and moved away from their most loyal customers, without any others in mind.
Unless they very quickly decide what they want to do, I can't see them lasting much longer.

[naomi24]

I think they stopped stocking much of their usual stuff some years ago because it just wasn’t selling. I always thought M&S very dated.

[gingejbee]

^ Can't comment on the clothes, but they've had cheaper food lines for some time..


https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/food/1324225/marks-and-spencer-remarksable-value-food-prices

[teacake44]

You may be right, whoever came up with an offer they had last year was madness, ( if you can call it an offer) I think it covered a range of different lines, but expensive to start out with. Example £45 jumper, buy 3 only pay for two, who is going to shell out £90 and have two jumpers the same, apart from color may be. They need new talent, or sink like you say.

[teacake44]

^^ 3 jumpers the same

[barry1010]

Next has pencil skirts and standard cardigans. My wife suggests Hobbs, also Boden.

[Buenchico]

M&S are simply trying to fill their stores with products which actually sell at a rate fast enough for them to make a profit. That's why they've all but given up on trying to sell children's clothes in most of their stores and why they've removed men's suits from the rails in half of their shops:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58374306

Elderly ladies might only buy one or two dresses or skirts in a year, plus just a few tops, whereas women in their 20s might buy twenty or thirty dresses or skirts, plus perhaps fifty tops, in a year. High Street shops are nearly all struggling to survive, so they're bound to concentrate on products with high volume sales (at the expense of those that don't sell in large numbers). BHS, Debenhams and lots of other fashion stores failed to learn that lesson and have simply fallen by the wayside.

[pixie374]

But M&S neither have any idea what younger people like, or have the reputation for them. They used to be well-known for older people, underwear and food. They should probably stick to what they know, or they will lose all customers.

[barry1010]

My wife recently bought a pair of jeans from M&S. She said they are the best fitting jeans she has ever bought in that price bracket so bought 2 more pairs in different colours. The Eve bootcut if anyone is interested £20

[pixie374]

Barry, the problem is, that most people will order online now. And especially since lockdown, when they had to. I suspect most high Street stores will be only online fairly soon.

[choux]

I went off M&S when I realised they no longer sold basic cardigans: black or navy for winter and white or cream for summer. Most of my working life I was in an office situation and cardis were absolutely essential for fluctuating office temperatures. Most of their items seem to be from far afield now and quality has gone out of the window.

[barry1010]

Shame M&S didn't have these in store, patsyann
https://www.marksandspencer.com/crew-neck-cardigan/p/clp60225373?color=PALEPINK&prevPage=srp#intid=prodColourId-60225372

https://www.marksandspencer.com/midi-pencil-skirt/p/clp60509768?color=BLACK&prevPage=srp

[naomi24]

Sticking to what they know best means they don’t achieve enough sales. That’s why they’ve tried (and failed in my opinion) to update their styles.

[pixie374]

That's the problem, choux. Even people who would automatically have gone there first, no longer do. They have attempted to change styling, without really knowing what they want. And end up pleaing nobody.

[pixie374]

Pleasing...

[237SJ]

Having had a good few tours around the shops lately, most of them seem to be out of touch with what people want (unless you want animal print blouses with huge sleeves and neck ties, long shapeless jumpers and really short skirts)

[choux]

If I bought a mini I would think "well, that is the belt, now for the skirt".

[pixie374]

237, and this is before lockdown- the problem i found in our nearest shopping town, was, no choice. If you were looking for jeans, say - if one only had skinny- without fail, all the rest had the same.
I'll stick with online now. I honestly can't see how many physical shops will last much longer.

[pastafreak]

What do I get from M and S...food, jeans (I can usually buy my size and know they will fit), bras and knickers. Forget any other clothes. I was looking for a certain type of jumper a few weeks ago, and all the clothing looked incredibly boring and a good few decades out of date. I'm 74, but don't want leftovers from 1970.
My local store still has a decent children's department, and sells men's suits.