What is happening to M&S ?
- Thread starter Dave7
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
We only ever bother with the M&S in Prestatyn, then it's usually just Sunday morning yellow stickers - you get the food for 'normal' prices then. 
oldwheels
Legendary Member
- Location
- Isle of Mull
We once had to make a diversion to the one in Inverness while en route to a trade fair at Aviemore. Due to weather forecast we made an earlier start than planned and our Head Girl forgot to pack her knickers.
On a more serious note there is a relatively new food outlet in Oban which has a good range of fancy cheese. Seems to get enough business to keep going.
The main one we sometimes went to was in Stirling about 100 miles away but not been there for years.
On a more serious note there is a relatively new food outlet in Oban which has a good range of fancy cheese. Seems to get enough business to keep going.
The main one we sometimes went to was in Stirling about 100 miles away but not been there for years.
Are there any M&S stores in Ireland?
Yes there's one about ten minutes walk away.
- Location
- Somewhere wet & hilly in NW England.
That even 'older people' don't like. 😁
Everyday's a school day on that one, I always thought that Dunnes was the Irish version.
I may be wrong but I don't think that there's any relationship between Dunnes and M&S.
About four years ago an M+S food shop opened not too far from us, I didn't think that it would do well considering the area, and that it was only a quarter of a mile from one of the biggest Tescos in Europe, and even closer to Aldi.
It seems to be doing well though, Mrs stephec goes in regularly even though I've told her not to bother as I visit food factories every day for work and wouldn't waste my money paying extra for their food.
It seems to be doing well though, Mrs stephec goes in regularly even though I've told her not to bother as I visit food factories every day for work and wouldn't waste my money paying extra for their food.
Must just be similarities in operations, I've been in food factories that produce exclusively for M+S where some of the finished pallets have Dunnes destination labels on them.
dan_bo
How much does it cost to Oldham?
M+S scotch eggs are a cheap way to get you through the day. Not sure it'll sustain the business though.
Moodyman
Legendary Member
They’re in a period of transition. Reduced physical footprint, greater online push and revamping their clothing image.
They’ve repositioned their clothing slightly more upmarket after a period of moving downmarket to compete with fast fashion retailers. The push downmarket has harmed the perception of the quality once synonymous with the brand.
It’s very similar to the successful strategy deployed by Sainsburys in recent years to differentiate from the Asda, Morrisons and Tesco. Move a bit more upmarket and charge for it.
They’ve repositioned their clothing slightly more upmarket after a period of moving downmarket to compete with fast fashion retailers. The push downmarket has harmed the perception of the quality once synonymous with the brand.
It’s very similar to the successful strategy deployed by Sainsburys in recent years to differentiate from the Asda, Morrisons and Tesco. Move a bit more upmarket and charge for it.
It's a shame as I have fond memories of "Marks and Sparks" as my nan was a loyal customer back when I was a kid, so we had many visits to the one in town.
Sadly in recent years it seems to have declined markedly - my suit came from M&S IIRC and is alright for what it is, but new stuff seems uninspiring. Also the food and clothes business model seems like a bit of an odd / unique one too and with such available choice maybe people are less concerned now about sourcing these from the same place / being loyal to one shop.
Of course, as with most bricks and mortar retail outlets the enormous elephant in the room is the internet, while I think in terms of clothes M&S stuff seems dated, frumpy and of zero appeal to all the markets (sadly) being served by cheap fast fashion. The food outlets probably aren't big enough to be competitive with supermarkets, while for most (those who must drive everywhere) utility town centre shopping has been killed by traffic, traffic restrictions, a lack of parking and a lack of decent alterntive transport.. urban centres expanding and most living / shopping on the outskirts.
My grandparents never had a car so walked or bussed into and out of the town centre to buy food; now I'd wager those who live in their old place would simply drive to the local Sainsburys, which is probably a similar distance but a lot easier to access by car.
Sad time really..
Sadly in recent years it seems to have declined markedly - my suit came from M&S IIRC and is alright for what it is, but new stuff seems uninspiring. Also the food and clothes business model seems like a bit of an odd / unique one too and with such available choice maybe people are less concerned now about sourcing these from the same place / being loyal to one shop.
Of course, as with most bricks and mortar retail outlets the enormous elephant in the room is the internet, while I think in terms of clothes M&S stuff seems dated, frumpy and of zero appeal to all the markets (sadly) being served by cheap fast fashion. The food outlets probably aren't big enough to be competitive with supermarkets, while for most (those who must drive everywhere) utility town centre shopping has been killed by traffic, traffic restrictions, a lack of parking and a lack of decent alterntive transport.. urban centres expanding and most living / shopping on the outskirts.
My grandparents never had a car so walked or bussed into and out of the town centre to buy food; now I'd wager those who live in their old place would simply drive to the local Sainsburys, which is probably a similar distance but a lot easier to access by car.
Sad time really..
Last edited:
Dag Hammar
Senior Member
- Location
- Essex
Colchester has a population of 198,000 but a couple of months ago Marks and Spencer closed their High Street store.
The next day they opened in a new-build unit on a large retail park approx 3 miles to the west of Colchester centre.
I can see the logic in them moving : instead of paying through the nose to park in Colchester customers can now drive to the retail park and park for free.
The closure of the High Street store caused a lot of controversy and was heavily reported in the local paper but lets face it, M and S is a business and not a charity and should not be obliged to continue operating a store that potentially was unprofitable.
The next day they opened in a new-build unit on a large retail park approx 3 miles to the west of Colchester centre.
I can see the logic in them moving : instead of paying through the nose to park in Colchester customers can now drive to the retail park and park for free.
The closure of the High Street store caused a lot of controversy and was heavily reported in the local paper but lets face it, M and S is a business and not a charity and should not be obliged to continue operating a store that potentially was unprofitable.
