to think we can come up with good ideas to save M&S

[FleurDelacoeur]

M&S definitely on the skids. Profits down, stores closing, Chief Exec saying radical transformation required. Fairly clear that this has happened because they're not listening to their core market, which I'd wager has a fairly large crossover with the MN demographic. So Steve Rowe, if you're listening, here are a few bullet points.

1. Scrap the Sparks card.
2. Sack your womenswear design team. All of them. Now.
3. Ditch the Per Una brand.
4. Rethink your over generous returns policy.

Bring back their basic range of toiletries. They were really good value

I was in a large store recently and a group of eastern European women came in.

They were a religious group and dressed in very muted colours, long shapeless skirts and tops, sensible shoes, hats/coverings ...

They were cracking up at the clothes and saying that they were too old and frumpy for them (I understood a bit of what they were saying then they switched to english and chatted to me about the dire selection of clothes).

We ended up all bursting out laughing when a couple of very trendy M&S staff marched in and started waving there arms at the displays and cooing over some baggy leather clown trousers they had on a mannequin. They must've worked in the design department or purchasing and looked like Clem Fandango and his female equivalent. It all made sense then.

Agree with @SaucyJack Boden is fucking hideous.

LISTEN because people are sick of saying the same things. It's becoming too late because people are already stopping even looking at whether you have the thing they want. You still have goodwill but less then a few years ago and draining away. You employ a lot of people and supply chain as well - don't put more jobs at risk.

Basics in a good range of colours, good quality lasting fabrics that are worth paying more for. Every item in a range should be the same fit - if I buy a blue and a red in the same garment it should be consistent.

I buy your trousers because you do short lengths (when I can find my size) . Build on it with petite and tall ranges. Bring in petite pyjamas- my legs don't grow at night and most other brands don't stock short length.

Normal loyalty card.

Made in Britain clothes so that they can justify why their clothes cost 3 times more that Primark's and co who use sweatshops.

I remember a few weeks ago, I bought a skirt in M&S for £16 or so. I went to pick up some leggings at Primark only to find the exact same skirt for £6 - exact same. Both made somewhere similar. Guess what I did with the M&S one?

So, yeah. If it was Made in Britain, I would have kept the M&S one.

@crunchymint, exactly. I had a leather pair of these back in the day, and wore them to death. Would love to get another similar pair, but will not be parting with £25 for synthetic.

Anyone else watching the Channel 4 news just now? John Snow said they asked the CEO of M&S for an interview, but M&S declined because they don't think there is much overlap between their customer base and viewers of channel 4 news!!!

M&S head office, if you're reading this, may a respectfully suggest this is maybe not the way to either endear yourself to current customers, nor gain new ones.

Bet someone in the PR department is getting a kicking right now!!

£35 for an acrylic jumper with embellishment that's fashionable, but is designed to go in the bin after a few months is too expensive. £40 for a plain thin wool jumper that'll last 3-4 years is perfectly acceptable.

Yes, yes, yes.

I don' think M&S can compete on fashion, but they can compete on quality, classic basics.

Ohmydayslove
Yes men’s wear is fine. It’s the women’s wear that’s the issue

really.
No shirts over a 19 inch neck
Old men's jumpers
Underwear that is badly sized and doesn't last very long
and sizes that just are not very big.

Just how long in the body are some of you? I have never had a problem with tops being too short or riding up to show my midrif. Heightwise I think my proportions are OK, but being pear shaped, tops that end at my hips or tops of my thighs are deeply unflattering. I am 5'7" BTW, so above average in height.

Get rid of any designer who presents ruffles, acrylic or polyester.
Design for me... a mum of a teenager. Imagine the reaction from said teenager if I had worn that dress from last year.
I want standard, good quality normal clothes .. not flouncy sleeved, high neck fire risks as in store now

This is probably the 500th thread along the same lines we've had here on MN but M&S don't listen and unfortunately I suspect they'll carry on not listening while they go bust . It's such a shame because imo there's a gap in the market they could fill - catering for the bodies and lifestyles of women in their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond.

Lots of us have disposable income but struggle to find suitable clothes on the high street. We're prepared to spend 30/40/50 quid on a blouse but not one that's equivalent to what Primark sells for £10. We're not looking for throwaway fashion, we want decent quality items that can be worn for more than one season! We're not frumps but having babies and getting a bit older means women's bodies change - it would be great to be able to buy clothes that take account of less than firm tums or larger than we'd like bums.

Most of the high street stores don't cater to our needs because they're chasing the teen/20 something shoppers and the instaglam mummies. There are millions of women who don't want or need to look sexy or glamorous (just as well looking at M&S stock ).

BUT WE HAVE MONEY TO SPEND!!

We work in schools and banks and insurance companies and restaurants and we want clothes that are suitable for our jobs and our lifestyles.

And if you can get us into your stores for our clothes there's a good chance that while we're there we might buy for our dc too. And given lots of women also buy their partners clothes there's more money being spent. And as we're there we might pop into household or the food section and spend a bit more again!

I just don't know how a store can keep on getting it so wrong, how can it be so bloody difficult ?

Their click and collect service is abysmal from my experience. I have used it twice now and I don’t think I could be arsed again. There’s basically a click and collect room in my local store which nobody mans . You press the buzzer as they suggest but nobody comes because nobody is there so you have to find someone in the store to ask. Last time after doing all of this, it transpired they had put my parcel in a locker on the top floor which was really fucking difficult to open and nobody was there to help me. I’m ranting but they desperately need to change that.

The food is too expensive for what it is. Their clothes cater to the over 50s. It’s just an old fashioned store really that needs a major revamp.

I have also sent a link to this thread on the M & S site as feedback in the Contact Us section.

Also it’s fine to have clothes for the over 50s but also having a range aimed at younger people would broaden their custom.

Every year I haul out my black, v-necked, just below knee length, knitted 50% wool, 50% acrylic sweater dress with a St Michael label that I bought in a charity shop in 1999. Fits perfectly and washes like a dream.
And every year people say what a great dress it is.

Sorry - 50% MERINO wool. The acrylic doesn’t seem to detract, genius mix.

Needs to go horribly old fashioned and crap food.

Clothes - terrible
Merchandising - terrible. Looks like a jumble sale.
Why do the bras only start at a 32??
Why don't the bra's go bigger cup and smaller back? Do we not exist?
The bra fitting service is shit.
Food now too expensive, all the supermarkets have naice ranges now so just too pricey now.

I agree about the food being overpriced.

It was fine when supermarkets only sold more basic items but even the budget supermarkets have fancier ranges now which are as good or better and a lot cheaper.

When I started working (18 ish years ago) I could go into M&S and buy lovely v neck jumpers and smart (plain but nice colours) cardigans.
I went in recently to buy some new work staples and couldn't find anything. Jumpers were all too baggy or long. Cardigans had odd patterns and colours.
I agree that good quality basics in a range of nice colours would be amazing.

Scale down the size of your shops and become more boutique.
Straddle the ground between Zara and White Company.
Get rid of all the frumpy patterned acrylic rubbish.
Make good quality capsule clothes for women aged 35+- there is a massive gap in the market.
Make clothes in the UK using good quality material.
The home ware range was good quality but not on trend enough- get that sorted.
Menswear is too old man but the quality is better than women’s.
Get the bra fitters properly trained by Rigby and Peller- perhaps ask them to collaborate on a R&P@M&S line. Improve your range of bra sizes.
Food is way over priced and too much processed airline type food.

I now buy my lovely V neck jumpers from the men's department. They are plain and have sleeves that are long enough.

Engage Mary Portas and Sali Hughes.

'Engage Mary Portas and Sali Hughes.'

Excellent idea, Sali Hughes in particular. She's all about sleeves and pockets and practical stuff like that