M&S cuts 1,000 jobs as fashion sales dive

Oblivion

OK, I'm one of the older generation and Marks & Spencer has served me very well throughout much of my life, until recent years. Being someone who absolutely detests having to shop for clothes, I used to buy practically everything from underpants to office suits and overcoats from them because you knew you could rely on the quality, comfort and fit of their products.

Then a few years ago it all went downhill. From my own observations of our two nearest stores, they drafted in university leavers by the barrow load, still wet behind the ears, and allowed them carte blanche to 'modernise' the stock lines. What a total disaster that was, turning their back on the traditional older shopper who didn't want trendy rubbish that falls apart after a couple of wearings. They never seemed to recover from that fateful episode, and the quality has remained very poor since.

I bought a woollen jumper from M&S a month ago. The first time I put it on (carefully) the seams across the shoulder and neck parted company! Similar problem with 3 sets of socks ... they just fell apart after a few weeks. It also really annoys me that just when I do find a product I really like, they discontinue it, and that applies to clothing as well as food lines.

M&S managment were the masters of their own fate, and they have brought a once-great store to its knees. They urgently need to get back to old traditional values if they want to survive.

Dave.

michael19_2

Hi

Here is a link to the proposed stores closure list on the M&S website

http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/documents/press_releases/2009/Q3_store_closure

oilit

list of stores closing
As part of its Quarter 3 interim management statement Marks & Spencer today announced
the proposed closure of 27 stores, including 25 Simply Food stores and two main chain M&S
stores, with the potential loss of up to 780 jobs.

Simply Food Stores:

Grafton Centre, Cambridge
Bracknell
Torquay
Imperial Wharf
Harbourside Bristol
Newtownards
Trowbridge
Letchworth
Huntingdon
Marlborough
Braintree
Caversham
Balham
Palmers Green
Colmore Row
Evesham
Tewkesbury
Whitley Bay
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Biggin Hill
Sudbury
Ripon
Melton Mowbray
Honiton
Market Harborough

Main Chain Stores:

Valley Park Croydon
Woking

amcluesent

>list of stores closing<

Must be right chav-towns if no-one there shops at M&S. Croydon...I rest my case!

neverdespairgirl

Cambridge?

GracieP

And Balham is fairly trendy at the moment.

BYALPHAINDIA I was in a hurry yesterday to get to library and I left the house straight after walking the dogs. On my way back I popped into M&S, wearing my dog walking jeans, which are very, very scruffy.:eek:

I had changed out of my wellies though.

sportbeth

Snooze wrote: »

Yes you are right. M&S is definitely an old-person's shop and I don't care what anyone says. All you need to do is look in one to see it for yourself. You'll never see a guy in there for a start and of the women that shop there they're all in the 40+ bracket. Once that generation has kicked the bucket, M&S as a clothes shop will be toast.

I think the only thing that's stopping M&S from disappearing right now is their food side, which, I have to say, is the only good thing about them imho.

Rob

You're right, the food is great, but it all depends on what part of the country you live in and what type of street you go into to find and M&S. I work near the Moorgate M&S, their core customer is the 25-35 year old professional female or male and the store here is busy every lunchtime. Their Limited Collection and Autograph ranges are great and I buy from them whenever I have the money. (I'm an early 30's professional, not a 60 year old mumsy lady)

I've always found the customer service, returns, mail order and general ranges fantastic. I've very rarely had to return anything as it has broken or unstitched itself and my home is littered with their home collection.

I buy a lot from Next as well and tbh I couldn't compare the two and find a favourite, they're both as good as each other for fashion, flowers, wine and homeware.

Rosie75

M&S is a disgrace. They are hardly in trouble, unlike the other high street stores we are hearing about. They made £1 billion profit last year, and say they are down 7%. That still represents a stonking profit, but clearly it is not enough for them and they want to lay off the people who are least responsible for their fall in sales. To my mind, the 7% can be accounted for not by the recession but by two stupid mistakes those in charge have made. Fashion: they have attempted to appeal to younger consumers, but have no idea what younger consumers want. They have therefore abandoned their traditional customer base, whilst failing to establish a new one. Food: their other mistake, was to santimoniously lecture us about the environment and charge us 10-20p for a plastic bag, whilst overpackaging every last apple with at least five kinds of plastic, polystrene and cardboard. This was so blatantly about making money rather than helping the environment (they claimed the plastic bag charge was going to charity, but in fact only a small proportion of the charge does) that many people, myself included, now refuse to shop there.

pinkzebra

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Cambridge?

The Simply food in the Grafton Centre is closing - the other 2 in the main part of Cambridge are staying (I think).

pinkzebra

Rosie75 wrote: »

M&S is a disgrace. They are hardly in trouble, unlike the other high street stores we are hearing about. They made £1 billion profit last year, and say they are down 7%

They may have made £1 billion profit, but they are still £3 billion in debt :eek:


"M&S, which last year made workers’ redundancy packages less generous, has cut investment recently to reduce its £3 billion debt. "