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.

The only M&S clothes I've bought this year have been 'vintage' from charity shops. The quality is so much better. The linen shirts on sale now are so flimsy compared with the past. And the colours are dreadful. Mustard and cabbage green may be fashionable but hardly anyone looks good in them. I'd rather have 1 top from Joules than 2 from M&S. Their coats looked creased just hanging on the racks.

Foodwise, they seem to have gone in the other direction. Basic streaky bacon has disappeared. It's all fancy 'dry-cured' in wafer thin slices. The ready-meals, even shepherd's pie, are too spicy for me. They've taken out the salt and replaced it with pepper. I now go to a nearby Iceland for fresh ham, steak and smoked salmon. The premium M&S prices just aren't worth it. And the Simply Food outlets are franchised, even more expensive than the main shops. Total rip-off.

M&S used to be value for money. Not any more.

I've seen this same thread on Mumsnet a dozen times, saying all the same things - it's genuinely baffling why companies like M&S don't actually take any notice of such a huge concentration of their core market.

We have one of the flagship stores locally. Last year I wanted a plain cream top to go under an 'occasion' outfit. It did not exist in M&S - everything had big bell sleeves, stupid frills or patterns. How basic should that be?

I can't tell you the amount of times that I've looked at great basic t-shirts from the front, and then taken them off the rail to find they've added some weird embellishment on the back or sleeves.

Handbags and shoes come in every season with less leather and more plastic. Some lovely designs, but I do not buy plastic shoes or bags.

Like most on this thread, M&S still sticks in my brain as the 'go to' for good quality basics, but I can't remember the last time I actually succeeded in finding what I was looking for.

(Echoes the 'ditch the Sparks card' - what does it DO? - and WTF is Per Una about? Who buys it?)

Bring back the Tall range that you had online about 10? years ago, only have it in the shops as well, I am 60 and 5'10 and your clothes are all short and wide.

I think that a bra fitting revolution has immense possibilities for M&S. They have the size and the manufacturing clout to sell people bras in sizes from 26F to 42M at moderate prices and if they sold these new measurements to (mostly) younger women then they’d destroy Primark and Asda’s market instantly, because those cheap bras are only available in a narrow range of sides. And it’s such an easy sell. Who doesn’t want to be told that they’re a 30C rather than a 34A? And who wouldn’t feel good about the person who told them that?

I’d also market individual items around Wardrobe Fixes, in the same way that Sainsbury’s markets meal ideas. A Trinny and Susannah style blog (plus YouTube and occasional TV slots) producing M&S items as the solution to specific wardrobe/grooming dilemmas. Starting with slips to improve the look of cheap unlined dresses. And those culottes slip things for chub rub and see through linen trousers.. And “What shoes do I wear with 7/8 trousers if I have a 1 mile commute?” “What looks chic in the summer in a heavily air conditioned office?” All those run of the mill questions that we answer on S&B every day - they need to have an answer and market it as a solution. Nobody was asking a question to which the answer was “A frilly pink tent” (even if it does look a teeny bit like the Vampires Wife Festival dress).

What you've all said about classic items, when I started working 15 years ago I got nearly everything there like pencil skirts, cotton blouses and actually some nice heels. Accessories used to be nice too, scarves and things.

But also they need to sort out their logistics. I could have ordered from Next last night and an item in stock would have arrived TODAY. Standard delivery from M&S might take 5 or 6 days.

As a man, I'm amazed at so many people praising their menswear. I used to buy most of my clothes at M&S (I'm early 40s now). Hardly ever now. The quality is still good but the designs and styles definitely not. And most of my male friends say the same. It's a nuisance because we have a huge M&S where I live but we lost Debenhams, M&S, House of Fraser is in trouble and their menswear is generally expensive so buying menswear now is bordering on exceptionally tricky.

I also never understand the fuss about M&S food which I generally find bland. Except their jaffa cakes which are PHENOMENALLY good.

Oh and unfortunately my arms and legs haven't shrunk

Start doing home delivery on food. Missing a trick there.

Decent clothes! Natural fabrics, cut well. I don’t understand why it’s so difficult. The kids clothes are brilliant, but I have never found a decent outfit ever.

Agree they need to stick to the basics. Stop the bloody glitter, frills and bows!!

Also the cut/colour/pattern. All completely wrong.

Maybe employ some older designers not kids straight out of a uni course?

The food range at M&S is good, but it's expensive and a lot of their competitors now sell similar food stuffs for less.

Some of the kids clothes are nice but I'm more likely to go to Primark / H&M kids for kids clothes to be honest as the kids outgrow / ruin clothes so quickly that I'm reluctant to pay M&S prices.

The adult clothes look frumpy and tired. It definitely looks like most of the clothes are aimed at the 'over 65's' market, so I rarely look in there to be honest for clothes for me.

So yeah, ultimately it needs some new designers and to look at it's prices.

Shatners

Agree on the food! I find it ridiculous over priced and bland. Aldi’s any day of the week.

Not sure if still the case but the children’s clothes used to have a young range upto age 6 and an older range. As my daughter is very tall she was needing an older age meaning she had outgrown the range by age 5 so no pretty party dresses etc. I often used to see things but couldn’t buy.

I would t wear those clothes at 65! Hideous

Simple, good quality staples for clothing. Agree OP re: Uniqlo example. No one goes to M&S for leading edge fashion (do they?) but I'd go every time for my basics.

Stick to own brand food. IMO the 'magic'went out of the foodhall when they started selling other brands.

Make stores look appealing - my M&S is very stark with messy clothes rails.

Ditch Per Una - there is no obvious difference between Per Una and the rest of the stock.
But do introduce different ranges that clearly define your target eg work wear (with a reportage marketing campaign rather than models floating and twirling down streets) that is classic, understated, in quality fabrics. It shouldn't be so difficult to buy a design suit and white shirt.
John Lewis has the advantage of concession stands from different companies. M&S should replicate that either by inviting other companies in or by diversifying their company into different design houses. To be blunt, no 25-yr-old wants to be buying the same items as an 80-yr-old - their stores need to make it clearer which range is for which.
Bring back sweets to the outlet stores this is purely for my personal benefit

Yes the Next overnight delivery means I’ll use them for things like socks for dd I would have previously bought from m and s. Next is £20 a year for unlimited next day delivery to home. M and s pay for delivery probably coming 5 days later or collect from store always behind a line of people.

I meant we lost BHS, not M&S. Yet.

Like most on this thread, M&S still sticks in my brain as the 'go to' for good quality basics, but I can't remember the last time I actually succeeded in finding what I was looking for.

I can. Same as a previous poster - "The only M&S clothes I've bought this year have been 'vintage' from charity shops".
The weird thing is, they can't even do that right. Remember when Alexa Chung brought out a range from their archives? - it was all awful stuff that should never have seen the light of day.
Stop trying to be trendy and fashionable. Do the basic stuff and do it well.

The layout of their stores needs addressing, too many different ranges and too many barriers. Just stick to basics. They lost me as a customer ages ago, I now buy my cotton polo shirts from Cotton Traders. Good quality clothes with reasonable prices is what they used to do but now fail to offer.

Food wise, they are just so expensive and with Lidl now offering the continental stuff at cheaper prices of course the wise shopper is going to go there first.

Stop selling womens clothing. It's shit.

I think it will go the same way at BHS and Woolies as they don’t listen to their customers.

Seen countless threads on here about Marks all saying the same thing

they don’t listen no idea why

Open all the automated teller machines. And keep them open. A bank of six of them which have never been seen open while people queue to pay is not good for business.

And if you must hold staff meetings in shop hours excuse enough people to keep the bloody branch functioning.

It’s not rocket science.

I've seen lots of threads like this - here and elsewhere - but they just don't listen. Are they ever going to begin?

Ditto to sacking their buyers/designers, or at least most of them. I still find the odd basic - e.g. good value cotton T shirts and their plain summer linen and is often good, but as for the rest, I walk through the shop and can't imagine who on earth would want to buy items in horrible colours/patterns and - the usual M&S thing - so often with tacky, fussy, 'bits' added.

A few years ago I bought - in a small independent shop in America - a very simple, plain, unlined, machine washable summer linen jacket in a deep cyclamen pink. I've worn it loads. It cost about $70 and I wondered why on earth M&S - with their economies of scale so could do more cheaply - do do not stock such things in a few both zingy and 'basic' colours. I swear they'd fly off the racks. But knowing M&S, they'd have to add the usual tacky 'bits' and ruin them.

I do often get the impression that their designers/buyers must think, 'Well, I wouldn't be seen dead in it, but it'll do for M&S.'

M&S, are you listening??

Ditch furniture / homewares if you can't do it properly - they fail to hit the mark of either being low cost (ikea / wayfair) or good quality (John Lewis / habitat)

Food prices are waaaaay too high - look at more of a Whole Foods model if you're going to charge the earth.

Clothes - as everyone has said, good quality basics (silk t shirts, linen shifts, decent blazers, stretch cotton shirts, wrap dresses in nice fabrics

Undies - sizes!!! Almost never have what want in stock size wise.

Shoes - I actually have quite a few pairs of shoes but for goodness sake put a decent heel on some of your dress shoes, we don't all want a measly 2 inches, some of us want a bit of glamour but with comfort too

Bring back the Indigo line, that actually had some really nice stuff
Make the stores a bit brighter, my local one has corners that are dark and dingy, let some daylight into the stores
Ditch the frumpy staff uniforms and give them a dress code instead

Some M&S Food outlets at stations are cooled down to almost arctic temperatures, scrap the over use of air conditioning (this'll also save tons in electricity costs)