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LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) - British retailer Marks & Spencer is looking into launching a card-based loyaltyprogramme, provisionally called "Sparks", for its customers thisyear, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
Reward cards, pioneered by Tesco's Clubcard twodecades ago, are widespread throughout Britain's retail sector.
But unlike schemes run by many other chains, M&S's "Sparks"membership card would reward both M&S food and generalmerchandise customers with exclusive benefits and personalisedoffers, rather than being a purely transaction-based schemewhere points are awarded for every pound spent, the person said,speaking on condition of anonymity as the matter isn't public.
If the trials go well, "Sparks" could be launched in theautumn.
The move follows the billions of pounds spent by M&S ChiefExecutive Marc Bolland on the redesign of products, stores,supply chain logistics and the firm's website to address decadesof underinvestment in the 131-year-old business.
Having last year shifted the M&S website from a platformprovided by Amazon to its own platform, the firm now has bettercustomer insight. That has encouraged M&S to try to capitaliseon a traditionally strong fanbase among shoppers.
"At our recent prelims presentation (May 20 results) we saidthat being more in-touch with our customers was one of ourpriorities for the year ahead. However, we would not comment onrumour and speculation about future activity," M&S said in astatement when asked by Reuters for comment.
Last month, M&S raised hopes it has rediscovered a winningformula by reporting a rise in annual profit for the first timein four years and pledged to return excess cash to shareholders.
Shares in the firm, up 28 percent over the last nine months,were down 0.3 percent at 555.5 pence at 1034 GMT, valuing thebusiness at about 9.1 billion pounds ($13.9 billion).
($1 = 0.6545 pounds) (Reporting by James Davey and Paul Sandle; Editing by GuyFaulconbridge and Mark Potter)
