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* Clothing and home sales down 25.1% in its third quarter
* Food sales in the quarter rise 2.2%
* Latest lockdown in Britain to hurt store sales further
* Progress in clothing makeover concealed by COVID-19
(Adds detail)
By James Davey
LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Marks & Spencer (M&S)
reported on Friday another big fall in sales of clothing and
homewares in the three months leading up to Christmas, as
restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus hit demand
and closed stores.
M&S, one of the best known names in British retail, said
revenue in its clothing and home division slumped 25.1% in the
13 weeks to Dec. 26, its fiscal third quarter, having fallen
21.3% in the previous quarter.
M&S was struggling to reinvent itself after decades of
failed attempts even before the pandemic hit.
It warned that the latest national lockdowns across Britain
announced in January and which could potentially extend until
Easter would further impact store sales.
"Near term trading remains very challenging but we are
continuing to accelerate change under our Never the Same Again
programme to ensure the business emerges from the pandemic in
very different shape," said Chief Executive Steve Rowe.
In May, it said the crisis would indelibly change its
business and it would accelerate the latest turnaround plan,
delivering three years of change in one.
In August, M&S cut 7,000 jobs and in November it reported a
first loss in its 94 years as a publicly listed company.
Its shares have fallen 35% over the last year.
The group said "good progress" in repositioning clothing and
home ranges and buying was concealed by the COVID-19
restrictions and demand distortions.
It said a fall of 46.5% in store sales was partly offset by
online sales growth of 47.5%.
Food sales were up 2.2% in the quarter, having increased
1.6% in the second quarter.
It said food performed well in the four-week period leading
up to Christmas, with like-for-like sales, excluding hospitality
and franchise up 8.7%, with large retail park and Simply Food
stores significantly outperforming.
M&S's international revenue decreased 10.4% impacted by
changing restrictions related to the pandemic across the world.
The group warned that potential post-Brexit tariffs on goods
exported to the EU, together with complex administrative
processes, would significantly impact its businesses in Ireland,
the Czech Republic and its franchise business in France. It said
it was actively working to mitigate these factors.
(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Kate Holton, Jane
Merriman and Edmund Blair)
