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.

Go back to what you are good at, quality basic clothes in a good range of colours & sizes, leather shoes in standard & wide fitting, underwear that fits, multi pack knickers all one colour, black white or nude, not mixed packs. Coats of all weights in larger sizes, don't bother with an outsize range, just make your normal ranges in bigger sizes, don't just think that larger cup bras should be in boring colours, extend the Rosie range up to all cup sizes. Make handbags in leather like you used to, the ones you made that were almost like Chanel were excellent, all of the classic styled ones used to be well manufactured & lasted years. Look at Next for service & delivery for online sales, start doing online food shopping, we have a new retail park opening next month near where I live, M & S Simply food is next door to an Aldi flagship store, if you don't start improving your pricing & service soon I can't see your new store lasting very long, not when customers can go to Aldi for their food & Next on the same site for basics & home products.

I worked for m&s until very recently and I honestly don't think they will be saved without a massive closure and revamp in every store and head office. People are working illegally in every store, stores are full of people on 16 hour tempory contracts rather than full time permanent staff that care about their job and the customers. So much time is wasted throughout the day and honestly the wages are too high to be paying people who just want a supermarket job and I'm not surprised they're losing money. The big boss has says it has 5 years left before closure

If they don't think their customers watch Channel 4 News (do they actually HAVE a PR department?) then they are saying they don't market to middle class, young to middle aged professionals. Which is where the sodding money is. Their current model is failing and they have the arrogance to reject feedback from the people with disposable income and needs that aren't brilliantly met on the high street.

There was talk of them opening up in Australia, which I think would be the nail in the coffin. These companies have a notoriously poor record when it comes to successfully breaking into that market.

I went into M&S when I was in the UK to buy some of their thermal undershirts. But the rest of their store was rubbish. Overpriced, poor quality things. You can easily find better quality winter clothing in Australia, where it's rarely that cold. I was amazed at the shit selection of decent clothing, and the hefty price tags slapped on them.

SoFake
Stick a Prada ( or any designer ) label on that dress and add a couple of hundred £ to the price tag , put it on Meghan Markle or a Hadid sister or Alexa Chung and the fashionistas would be falling over themselves to buy it.
Fashion is fickle.

Sell things made in Britain. You used to do this, some people actually deliberately went to M and S because of this.

Go back to designs that fit European women with bums and boobs.

Do food hall delivery.
Stop randomly taking basic food items off the shop floor- no one wants to have to drive to another supermarket to buy an item they sold last week!
Manage stock levels better- not everyone can food shop in the middle of the day and I always come out without half the things I need if I go in the evening.
Stop making customers pay to park in M&S multi-storey car parks, validate tickets like other shops do.
Get rid of the horrible cheap fabrics, my fav wash and wear cardigan looks the same as always when new but turned into a rag when washed!
Sell modern basic clothes in styles people actually want to wear!

I must say I love their furniture and garden furniture. Excellent and really stylish. I always buy their cashmere beanie hats and scarfs for DH and DS’s. Ditto socks and Men’s merino wool jumpers. The Italian men’s suit Range was superb but I think it has been discontinued. Ditto sartorial shirt Range also discontinued. I bought the lilac Autograph coat at full price, loved it, but it was discounted by a third a month later. Lol.
Cashmere goes bobbly and the colours are not right. We want navy and strong black not mid blue and wishy-washy black. One last thing, I always buy wool men’s socks, I spend a fortune on them. Never the same shade twice to pair up. All different.

I’m not surprised they are failing. I went to M&S in Westfield the other day and it was grim. A vast football pitch of hideous clothes and very few shoppers all wandering around looking bewildered.

They should have 5 lines only. These are:
M&S Classics. Quality separates of the type everyone has written about here. Fab simple clothes people want to buy.

M&S Food.

M&S Underwear.

M&S Men
M&S Kids

Scrap absolutely everything else.

To have everything that they have in store available on their website

I once asked why per uns wasn't available in a larger size and was told that the designer didn't it would suit older ladies. WTF!!!

I've not waded through whole thread so if I'm repeating what someone else has said, apologies.

I'm over weight & tall (not giant but tall enough for the longer length range in clothes). My go to trousers are M&S jeggings style or treggings style & I haven't been able to buy any for about 2 years as they never have my size in stock. They do my size but not once in the past 2 years irrespective of when I look online have they ever had my preferred size/style in stock. No option to note your preference & let you know when the item is back in stock. I emailed them to ask why they don't have this option & never even got a response. It's items that they have had in their lines for years so the are ever present just never my size/length despite there always being an option but never in stock.

How many sales have they missed out because of this?

I want clothes for work, I wear trousers in black or grey with a jacket and a blouse. I can buy those in cheaper shops and they fit, there's a choice of colours for the blouses and they don't look frumpy. The number of times I have bought something in Matalan and been told ` that's pretty, where did you buy that', I might be old but I am not frumpy!

It’s not unusual in my local M&S Foodstore for all the dates to be that day! Really super annoying if you are buying for the weekend. We are all savvy shoppers and won’t buy these dates. Reduce it!

Please make nice simple clothes again. Bhs used to do the frumpy patterned clothes with weird designs not you! I want longer tops with nice simple colours. Better quality men’s clothes especially jumpers; agree they need to look at uniqlo and GAP for jumper designs and materials.

Nicer shoes. They are so frumpy. No heels doesn’t have to mean horrible granny wedges. The colours are horrible.

More variety in shops. I hate going in to find there’s no sizes and larger bra sizes are available only online.

Stop your weird flavours in food. I don’t want odd sandwiches or salads. They taste disgusting. Keep it simple.

I still love your handbags and kids clothes and underwear. Have better sales like uniqlo.

The era of the high street is over, as more shops close, less foot fall, less buyers.
I can buy on-line or have free parking and get most things from a supermarket or similar out of town newer shop.

Unless parking fees are scrapped, business rates reduced and rents slashed, then the whole model of the high street is finished.

We used to live in the midlands and I used to shop in the factory shop that made clothes for M&S, even their stuff was much better quality than what M&S sell in store now. I think they try to be all things to all people and just get it wrong. They need to decide who their target market is and focus, as other pps have said do high quality, well cut staple wardrobe items in good fabrics (not all wool please, I'm allergic ) and s range of colours.
My mum is nearly 80 and a life long M&S shopper, not fashionable but likes to look nice and if she can't find stuff she likes in there, they're never going to keep going.
Whatever will we do in a world without Percy Pigs??? oh, and whoever suggested Percy as a logo is a genius!

People have been proclaiming the death of the high street for the last 30 years. It is still here.

YES YES and YES to good quality basics! I bought a few things last week including their hessian wedge sandals. So very comfortable but in less than one week they're splitting across the sole(should have read reviews that said this happens)!
This is something that I don't or didn't expect from M&S. Primark sandals have lasted me longer!
Oh and yes I've got a shed load of Sparks points but not really sure how useful they are?!?

On the old (much better) website there used to be a feature where you could type in what size and shape you were, and your colouring. You could also say if you wanted to cover your bum' legs/ arms.

You were then given advise on the type of clothes that would suit you and a range of clothes to view which met the criteria.

It worked well initially, then petered out as M&S realised they were advising you to wear a v-neck long sleeve top which they didn't actually stock!

The 'Tuesday' styling emails I get have dreadful ideas! Just stop!

We need basics in different styles. A sea of cardigans, blouses and tops all with round necks won't entice a woman with a bust to buy. Boxy blouses aren't going to entice anyone with a figure to buy...

Why not provide styles NOT found everywhere else? Stop following 'what's in fashion' and provide different styles to choose from.

I'm fed up of having to wait for v-neck or wrap tops to come back into fashion before I can buy anything.

Stock bras for people with a bust! A sea of bras at local store. Not one single bra in a 32GG in store. Not one!!

I would buy from you M&S. I have money to spend, but nothing to spend it on. I just bought some jeans and handbag from Sainsbury's!

What astounds me is that on every M&S Facebook post, there are often dozens of comments saying almost exactly what's being said here.

They are being told. On a daily basis.

They clearly aren't listening. 🙉

Who does M&S actually think their customers are? As it stands I go to M&S for:

• School uniform, online though because the in store range is so unreliable
• Percy pigs/the tubs of mini cakes/chocolate raisins/occasional sandwich or salad
• Kids winter coats - the stormwear is great and they’re one of the few high street stores I trust to make an affordable (£30-40) quality, Scottish weather appropriate coat for the DC.
• Pants.

I’m 28 and hate buying myself clothes, because it’s such a chore. For me, I’d want:

• Bra sizes that don’t take that stupid +4” into account.
• Reliable basics - good quality, classic cuts, workwear that you can turn round and not be swearing at because it has surprise cut outs/frills. Natural fibres, not fast fashion. Capsule wardrobe work-wear in particular.
• Age-appropriate kids wear that isn’t quite at Boden price level.

Another Daily Mail infomercial advertising the bathrobe latest crucial must have from M&S

Flattering or frumpy? It’s the M&S summer hit fiercely dividing opinion. Six women, from sizes 6 to 16, give their verdicts

By Samantha Brick for Daily Mail and Styled By Amy Kester

22:05 23 May 2018, updated 08:33, 24 May 2018

FEMAIL styled six British women of different body sizes in the same dress

Ruth Leveson, 66, who wears a size UK14 described the design as slimming

Daniela Faccinelli, 30, who wears a size UK6 found the dress a comfortable fit

Dr Mairi Wats, 47, who wears a size UK12 was disappointed by the material

Part-time teacher Ruth Leveson, 66, lives in Hertfordshire with her partner. She has three sons.

Ruth says:Like many women my age, M&S has seen me through the decades, notably the floaty Per Una styles. This is more fitted and not as flattering as I’m short and curvy. But the stripes slim my body and I also like the elasticated waistband part.

Shoes, £175,lkbennett.com; Earrings, £24.95,massimodutti.com; Necklace, £135,lolarose.co.uk

Londoner Daniela Faccinelli is 30 and single.

Daniela says: IT is very minimalistic and I love it. It’s loosely cut but still looks flattering around the bust thanks to the V-neck wrap style.The length makes it versatile — it looks chic with heels but I would also wear it with trainers for an edgier look. Overall I found it a good fit and comfortable, too. It is perfect for the summer.

Bag, £70,dunelondon. com; Mules, £275,russellandbromley.co.uk; Necklaces, model’s own

Recruitment consultant Jessica Chorley-Burdett, 30, lives in Bournemouth with her daughter, aged two.

Jessica says:The size 10 dress fitted me perfectly, with the hem falling just below the knee. However, I’ve bought a similar frock from the Tesco range which was less than £20. While the Marks & Spencer dress was flattering and feminine, it wasn’t nice enough for me to justify buying it for £39.50.

Bag, £295,russellandbromley.co.uk; Shoes, £275,lkbennett.com; Earrings, £10,jonrichard.com

Dr Mairi Watson , 47, is Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law at the University of Northampton. Single, she has a daughter, 18, and a son, 13.

Mairi says:Normally M&S clothes fit me well — I’m 5ft 6in and a standard size 12 — but this was too long and the fabric is a school shirt kind which easily creases. We perked it up with accessories, but that adds to the outfit cost.

Clutch, £85,lkbennett.com; Sandals, £90,boden.co.uk

Married mother of two Jules Osmany, 55, is a makeup artist who lives in Northampton.

Jules says:This is not for me. The elastic under the bust accentuated my mum tum, the mid-calf length was unflattering and the blue and white stripe reminded me of a hospital garment! A belt in another colour would have broken up the stripes. But the material was light and nice even though it’s not linen.

Shoes, £15.99,newlook.com; Earrings, £17.50,marksandspencer.com

Sarah Miles , 34, is a full-time mum. She is married to accountant Alex, 31.They have atwo-year-old daughter Maisie and live in North London.

Sarah says:My heart sank when I first saw this dress — I thought it would do nothing for my figure. But the cut actually enhanced my shape and the vertical stripes are slimming. It gaped at the bust, though, as I’m smallchested. However much I tightened the bow at the waist, I couldn’t get a snug enough fit.

Heels, £32,topshop.com

The comments are funny.

I do buy my sons school uniform from there, as they do 100% cotton school shirts, and no-one else does.
They also do a variety of fit in trousers, slim, longer leg, and larger sized. they are the only shop that gets this right (if you can find the ones you want, that haven't sold out that is)

I don't buy anything else.

tall women - the longer lines in trousers or dresses are either not available, or they are not adapted, so the dresses are longer length, but not longer shoulder to waist.
It is rare to find any trousers in the long length, which is frustrating as I have a lovely pair of dark navy cotton trousers/jeans that I did manage to find, that are a great fit. Haven't found any in my size and longer length since

I've just looked at that I thought it was a circus tent!