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LONDON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - British retailer Marks & Spencer
said on Monday it would add more guest clothing and
footwear brands to its website, including FatFace and Jones
Bootmaker, after an initial wave of brands increased traffic and
attracted new customers.
M&S Chief Executive Steve Rowe said last year the group,
still Britain's biggest clothing retailer by value, was shifting
strategy and would sell other brands to broaden its appeal.
In January, M&S purchased the Jaeger brand and in March
launched 'Brands at M&S', selling brands such as Hobbs, White
Stuff and Joules on its online platform.
Over the summer kidswear brands were added to the platform
including Clarks shoes and stationery brand Smiggle.
Other new brands launched on Monday include Albaray, Celtic
& Co, Craghoppers and Frugi.
"Early results on brands driving frequency have been
encouraging, with traffic on M&S.com increasing and new
customers who buy into a guest brand returning to make their
second purchase nearly 10 days sooner than those who didn’t buy
into brands," M&S said.
Importantly, brands also continue to attract new customers,"
it said.
Whilst ‘Brands at M&S’ is predominantly an online offer, M&S
plans to extend an in-store trial to five stores.
Rowe believes the COVID-19 pandemic has masked progress the
137-year-old M&S has made in its latest attempt at a turnaround
after decades of failures.
Last month Chairman Archie Norman said the group will
surprise people with its financial performance.
(Reporting by James Davey; editing by Sarah Young)
