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.

Head honcho has said their website and online delivery is rubbish, way behind everyone else's, and they need to focus on that as a major, major thing, and quickly.

He ain't wrong.

But then he needs to ensure the stuff on the bloody site is what we all want.

It is now Naff City. I want my cotton granny bashers in plain black not mixed with hideous flesh colour and white. I want my blouses etc long enough for a tall person. I do not want a hint of a frill or an applique or an uneven hem. I want natural fabrics in decent not naff plain colours The French do much better children and baby clothes even in cheaper stores like Monoprix - Disney themes on childrens clothes are mega naff and do no one any favours especially not the children.

Oh yes, and sort out the website so it's obvious what you are buying!

I thought I was ordering a pair of slim fit jeans like my black ones only in a different colour. When they arrived they were like bloody tights!

Now I wear them under dresses because I can't be bothered to send them back but - how is it so complicated?

They’re a lost cause. People have been telling them for at least 20 years the same things over and over and they still can’t implement the changes suggested. I used to be on a consumer panel over 20 years ago. It was 3 sessions and they’d bring racks of clothes in for us to comment on. Same things said at each. Yet they just can’t seem to do what is needed. I’ve lost sympathy now as they’ve just brought about their own demise.

Get some women aged 25-50 in and measure them. The average height of women has increased and we aren't all 5 foot 2. Tops need to be longer and less square to reflect this.
Per una is terrible. Dump it. Take the frills off it all and make all the skirts 4 inches shorter.
Shoes are good.
Kids clothes are good (maybe add more colours to boys' stuff)

Give me buttons that stay on and hems that stay up

My dh is late 30s and the only thing he’d buy in m&s is swimwear. Men’s clothes are such an opportunity to lurk men away from Reiss and ted baker with good cuts in plain colours for a more reasonable price.

Stop making shapeless t-shirts with bloody cap sleeves in that awlful stretchy almost-but-not-quite ribbed cotton. Burlgh!

On the Uniqlo thing - I'm in Glasgow. My nearest Uniqlo is in Oxford, which is a bit far for a shopping trip. I was in their huge London branch in Regent St not so long ago and more recently in the one in Brussels and they just get it right, not just with the colours and ranges but the whole shopping experience.

The stores are light, bright and modern. They look like they belong in 2018, not in 1988. They are well laid out and you can see from the entrance where the different sections are.

Their collaborations "fit" with the brand. They partnered with Marimekko to use their designs, but are still producing simple designs in a variety of prints. They're not trying to court the teenagers by partnering up with the latest reality star.

M&S could easily do similar - get someone in like Orla Kiely to produce a huge range of plain and patterened basics. Mix and match - white / black / navy / grey trousers which go with any one of 25 different tops, jackets, scarves etc.

The young and trendies are shopping at Topshop and River Island and ASOS. The M&S core market should be the 25 to 75 year old woman who doesn't want cold shoulder tops or the latest off the catwalk look but who wants well-designed clothes which are fashionable, but not high fashion.

There is a gap in the market for decent, well fitting school uniform in a variety of sizes. BHS used to offer petite, standard and plus on their school uniform, bring it into M&S!

It one of the few places I can get cotton uniform at reasonable price - I’d buy more as would relatives but actually getting hold of it isn't easy.

If frequently sells out on-line really quickly and it being in stores seems luck based. Last year went into a huge store and got lucky and bought loads.

Lots of children have eczema or other skin conditions - there is a market for cotton stuff it's why it sells out so quickly.

Young girl bra - very good range however I can't get decent bras and underwear there so I shop elsewhere.

It's all been said but -

Clothes:

Get rid of Per Una it's evil

I have a bigger bust - and I want to choose from all the bras not just the ones in a mostly frumpy 'bigger' range (Bravissimo May well have cornered that market but we don't have one within 30 miles)

Bring back the staples

No pink flute sleeve hideous dresses, who the feck wears stuff like that? NO ONE

Stock swimwear in all stores 'out of season' rather than flog it all off mid summer in a sale any bringing in autumn ranges

Food:

It's nice they've finally admitted vegans exist but the sandwiches are never in stock!

Half of the vegetarian foods could be vegan too if they just stopped sticking mint sauce and yoghurt in everything

Everything else:

Sparks card is utterly pointless either give me points or don't both

Vegan food in the cafe please

Bring back the no request biscuit!

If I'm in the store I want an item now not in a few days. And I don't want to wait hours while the IT illiterate sales person wrangles with an iPad. Sort your staff out!

Extend the range of cotton bras. I'd buy one in every colour if I could get them in my size.

Actually dweller - you're right they are a lost cause .

It's such a shame because actually I'd love to have a shop that offered natural fabrics and well cut British made (where possible) clothes suitable for my age.

I now buy most of my basics at Next who have a decent range of linen blend chinos, jeans and a £35 work dress with pockets that we've all bought in the office. I remember the days when everyone got their work stuff in M&S - I don't even bother looking there now.

The love it for Less cotton t shirts are quite good this year-proper tees no cap sleeves!
But I think Marks shouldn't be competing on price. It's a race to the bottom.

We want:
Classic wool pencil skirts
Tailored white shirts
Cashmere cardigans
Wool navy coats
Cotton shift dresses
Really good undies
Leather shoes and bags in on trend styles.
Classic looking kids clothes with no logos or slogans.

I don't need Marks to be cheap, but if I spend 40+ quid on an item I want to know it's going to last.

I like M&S food, but it isn't as special as it used to be. Look at what COOK are doing. If I want to buy something special, I buy from there. I like as well how COOK only use ingredients you can find in your kitchen.

Food, underwear, children's clothes...these are the things I associate with m and s, and the things they do well at...I would never dream of buying women's wear from there, far too frumpy and uninspiring.

Not entirely sure what their target demographic is...which I suppose is part of the problem, but as a middle class 30+ mum of 2, I'd say I was what they are aiming for...and missing right now.

Improve the quality of the cotton and dyes you use for kids clothes! They look great until the 3rd wash then start to fade and lose their shape.
Go for gender neutral kids clothes in bright colours instead of ghastly Peter Pan collars and dated frills, ribbons, florals and polka dots. I buy most of my DD's clothes from your boys range!

Ladies clothes need to be modern, get rid of the dated prints, pleated skirts and acid brights! Bring back natural textiles like wool, cotton, cashmere.

Food is lovely but overpriced.

I've just found another one. Per Una "Straight Leg Roma Rise Jeans" in 4 colours for £35. Directly underneath is Per Una "Roma Rise Straight Leg Jeans" for £39.50. Different photos so possibly different product, unclear... Why??

In addition there are - and this is the order shown on the website:

• Sculpt & Lift Roma Rise Slim Leg
• Sculpt & Lift Roma Rise Cropped
• Roma Rise Slim Leg
• Embroidered Roma Rise
• Roma Rise Straight Leg
• Bling Straight Leg
• Hem Detail Roma Rise
• Sculpt & Lift Roma Rise Skinny Leg
• Sateen Roma Rise Straight Leg
• Sculpt & Lift Roma Rise Straight Leg
• 360 Contour Slim Leg Roma Rise
• Sculpt & Lift Roma Rise Slim Boot Cut
• 360 Contour Roma Rise Skinny Leg
• Pinspot Roma Rise Skinny Leg
• Frill pocket Roma Rise Skinny Leg
• Sculpt & Lift Slim Leg (but not Roma Rise...)
• Embellished Straight Leg Cropped Jeans
• Embellished Roma Rise Skinny Jeans
• Wide leg plait Roma Rise Jeans
• Embellished Roma Rise Skinny Jeans

That's not even all the jeans in the Per Una range alone (23 total). There are another 3 in the Autograph range, 1 in Classic, 2 in Limited Edition, and a staggering 52!!! in the M&S Collection.

Is it any wonder that I've given up trying to choose what to order online, that people can't find stuff in store, that shop assistants have no idea of stock, that they can't keep enough sizes of anything? I mean just dealing with the range of sizes for each individual style in ONE range must be difficult enough. Complete and utter decision fatigue!!!

I also bought your long plain white nightdresses in 100% cotton. They were expensive for what they were, but nightdresses like this are hard to find and others must have thought the same, as they sold out quickly. But they were badly made and quickly needed repaired. I returned one after wearing it once.
I am fat. Fat women can not shop at Primark. Stores that specifically cater for us tend to have designs aimed at young women and use horrible fabrics. I still wear M&S clothes I bought a long time ago that are decent well designed and well made including 2 dresses bought nearly 10 years ago. I can't find stuff like that now.

IL have couple of large M and S and like to buy their DGC clothes from them - they are increasingly getting fed up that the stock isn't in the shops and they get directed on-line.

They will buy items via the internet but not the children's clothes they want to see the size and have some fun shopping for them - they just go elsewhere now.

DH and I will happily shop on-line, though sometime we like to see in store before going and ordering on-line, but they are looking for more of an experience and they have more money than us – apparently many of their friends have the same issue buying for children at M and S.

Change the design team. Sack the head of design immediately. I saw her in a newspaper article and she is the living embodiment of that hideous pink crepe dress from last summer. I used to buy loads of everyday basics there and could always find something. No, it wasn't "fashion forward", but it was classic, and wearable and I could rely on them to bring out new colours every year. I don't know how many of their wee round necked jumpers I bought for my Mum, in a whole rainbow of colours over the years.

Now.....yeucht. Their head designer has an eye for ugly.

The clothes are awful for anyone under the age of 60

[Hmm] because woman lose all sense of style as they leave their fifties. And all under 60s are so chic ...

Don't agree that M&S food is overpriced. You should not try and compete with other supermarkets. Cook are your competitor and are moving in on your market. If you try and compete with Sainsburys and Waitrose, you will lose.

I go into M&S with my mum (she's early 60s) most weeks.

We buy from the food hall and we always look round the clothes but they are just awful generally.

My mum will occasionally buy something for my nan (in her mid 80s) - a cardi or trousers, the odd top from the Classics line.

We wanted a pair of size 12 black trousers for my nan on the weekend for a wedding (she can no longer shop for herself) and they had none in stock.

I'd love to be able to go in there and buy an outfit but everything is either drab, a scary pattern or just overpriced.

I think I've bought one top and my mum one pair of jeans from there in about three years - that's going in there every week.

Apparently they stock school shoes in August for the new year. Try stocking them ALL year and extend the half sizes for kids shoes.

Decent boys clothes please not Minecraft and Pokemon tops.

Nice plain kid's t-shirts. Asda used to do plain t-shirts in their school range (not polos) but it looks like they are dropping the coloured ones. I think a coloured t-shirt with patterned shorts looks lovely.