Marketing Week
M&S

Q&A: Steve Sharp, M&S marketing director

Thu, 26 Apr 2012

M&S marketing director Steve Sharp talks to Marketing Week about the launch of its ‘shwopping’ sustainable fashion initiative, the challenge of changing consumer behaviour and balancing long term responsible business with short term sales and profit growth.

M&S to improve PR and ad coordination

Tue, 17 Apr 2012

M&S will improve coordination between marketing, PR and buying to avoid a future slide in clothing sales.

M&S taps into Jubilee and Games fever

Tue, 3 Apr 2012

M&S has brought back Dannii Minogue and Gary Barlow to celebrate British summer ahead of the Jubilee and Olympic Games.

M&S brand director exits

Mon, 20 Feb 2012

Alison Jones has left M&S after only a year as brand director for general merchandise.

Mainstream brands make a play for the super rich list

2 February 2012

Recession? What recession? A new set of brands is muscling in on territory that until recently was occupied exclusively by luxury goods and services providers by targeting the wealthy but time poor community.

How M&S took award-winning promotional learnings forward

Fri, 20 Jan 2012

Marks and Spencer won two Engage Awards in 2011. Read how it has taken its promotional strategy forward.

M&S named as X-Factor ad winner

Tue, 13 Dec 2011

M&S X-Factor Christmas ad garners most positive emotional response, according to research.

M&S lingerie ad ‘socially irresponsible’

Wed, 30 Nov 2011

Watchdog rules an M&S ad for a lingerie range that appears on a bus is too “overtly sexual” to be seen by children.

Family brands can reap rewards

10 November 2011

Brands that show family values make stronger connections with consumers, a survey exclusive to Marketing Week reveals.

M&S fall in profit shows trouble on the high street

Tue, 8 Nov 2011

M&S has defended its commitment to investing in offering value and its brands despite reporting a fall in profit and its first drop in second quarter sales for two years.

M&S reveals X-Factor Xmas ad

Mon, 7 Nov 2011

Marks & Spencer has revealed its Christmas ad campaign starring all the X-Factor finalists, including Misha B, Little Mixand Frankie Cocozza.

M&S asks suppliers for ad funds

Tue, 4 Oct 2011

M&S has asked suppliers to help fund brand building and advertising activity to drive the retailer’s growth.

Google Adwords trademark dispute nears conclusion

Thu, 22 Sep 2011

Google Adwords ruling leaves both M&S and Interflora happy in long running trademark dispute.

M&S outlines new store strategy for brands

Mon, 12 Sep 2011

Marks & Spencer will use 14 pilot stores to test in-store concepts for its revamped sub-brands as it looks to make more of them and turn them into brands in their own right.

M&S looks to bolster brand strategy with new hires

Tue, 6 Sep 2011

Marks & Spencer has created four head of brand roles as part of CEO Marc Bolland’s strategy to overhaul its sub-brands.

M&S Oxfam tie is “most admired” partnership

Wed, 31 Aug 2011

Oxfam and Marks & Spencer’s Clothing Exchange tie-up has been named the “most admired” partnership between a corporate organisation and a charity, as both sectors seek out more strategic partnerships.

M&S prepares to relaunch online platform

Thu, 18 Aug 2011

Marks & Spencer has moved closer to launching its first independent ecommerce and multi-channel platform that would allow it to better collect and use customer data.

M&S is right to put over-60s out to grass

21 July 2011

M&S reduces its Plan A organic produce targets

Thu, 9 Jun 2011

Marks & Spencer is scaling back on some of its organic produce targets due to lower than expected customer demand.

M&S names former Arcadia marketer as brand chief

Thu, 2 Jun 2011

Marks & Spencer has appointed former Arcadia marketing boss Alison Jones as its brand director for general merchandise.

M&S profits soar in Bolland’s first year

Tue, 24 May 2011

M&S has reported a 13% increase in profit in its first full year trading update under CEO Mark Bolland.

M&S creates brand director for food role

Thu, 5 May 2011

Marks & Spencer has appointed former John Lewis strategist Robert Weston to fill the newly created brand director role for its food business.

M&S names date for Tesco's Wade-Gery

Thu, 28 Apr 2011

Marks & Spencer has confirmed that former Tesco.com CEO Laura Wade-Gery will join the retailer as multichannel e-commerce director on 4 July, earlier than thought.

M&S readies Britain’s Got Talent-themed kids push

Thu, 21 Apr 2011

Marks & Spencer is partnering with ITV for its first ever childrenswear TV ad in a bid to grow its market share.

Ann Summers’ Squeal Deal ruffles M&S feathers

Wed, 20 Apr 2011

Marks & Spencer has threatened Ann Summers with legal action for adapting its “Your M&S” logo and slogan for a promotional deal on lingerie, sex toys and lickable lubrication.

M&S food outperforms clothing

Wed, 6 Apr 2011

Marks & Spencer has reported better than expected results for the first three months in the year as rising food sales offset falling clothing performance.

AOL launches new ad platform with M&S

Fri, 25 Mar 2011

Blackberry and Marks & Spencer are the UK launch partners for AOL’s new interactive display ad format Project Devil.

M&S collaborates with Terence Conran

Thu, 24 Mar 2011

Marks & Spencer is partnering with Sir Terence Conran to design an exclusive home collection to debut from September 2011.

Brands sign up to Government’s healthy living “deal”

Tue, 15 Mar 2011

More than 150 brands have signed up to the Government’s “Responsibility Deal” to promote healthy living.

Wade-Gery will unlock M&S’s online potential

Wed, 9 Feb 2011

M&S joins O2 for location-based marketing

Mon, 17 Jan 2011

Marks & Spencer has signed up to O2’s geo-location based marketing service “You Are Here” to send targeted offers to shoppers near its stores.

M&S says stores must match ads

Wed, 10 Nov 2010

Marks & Spencer CEO Marc Bolland has set out plans to overhaul its clothing brands as part of several measures aimed at creating a more customer-focused business.

M&S to restructure brands

Mon, 8 Nov 2010

Marks & Spencer is expected to cut its range of own brand fashion labels this week to focus on fewer brands.

M&S eyes return to Europe

Mon, 1 Nov 2010

Marks & Spencer is understood to be planning a return to Europe 10 years after exiting the continent.

Snowdon to front M&S Oxfam clothing drive

Fri, 3 Sep 2010

Marks & Spencer is launching a one day fashion initiative to encourage shoppers to donate clothes to Oxfam.

M&S names new chairman

Mon, 23 Aug 2010

Marks & Spencer has named Robert Swannell as Sir Stuart Rose’s successor in the role of chairman of the retail chain, completing its “succession plan”.

Amazon, Tesco and M&S named most popular email marketers

Wed, 11 Aug 2010

Amazon, Tesco and Marks & Spencer are the most popular email marketers with consumers, according to research from the IAB and its research partner iCD.

M&S sales boosted by promotions and innovation

Wed, 7 Jul 2010

Marks & Spencer has reported strong performance with sales increasing across all areas of the business in the chain’s first trading update since Marc Bolland took over as CEO.

M&S marketing chief given pay rise to push branding

Fri, 11 Jun 2010

Marks & Spencer awarded marketing director Steven Sharp a 12% pay rise in the last financial year so that he could “reflect the continuing importance of the branding and marketing of M&S,” the company has revealed in its annual report.