M&S named most trustworthy retailer in UK22 Dec 2025 19:12
Marks & Spencer has been named the most trustworthy UK retailer by research firm GlobalData, despite the cyber attack that felled its online operations in April.
Shoppers struggled to find acceptable replacements for M&S‘ own-brand ranges from other stores during the three months its website was down.
Marks & Spencer announced earlier this month that it had grown the market share of its own-label fragrance from 8.3% to 12.4% over the past year, with units sold likely to surpass 1 million over the Christmas period.
The British retailer was able to claim the title by restoring its online operations and offering customers discounts in the aftermath.
Respondents could select up to three retailers that they deemed the most trustworthy. 19% of voters chose M&S, with John Lewis & Partners garnering 18%, and Tesco and Amazon receiving 16%. Sainsbury’s took fifth place with 11%.
GlobalData theorised that UK shoppers opt for British brands due to their “familiarity and perceived accountability”. “This strong domestic brand identity is a key reason why Marks & Spencer has retained customer confidence and limited reputational damage,” it said, “even in the wake of a cyberattack.”
The top five factors contributing to trustworthiness area high quality products (84%), value for money (81%), customer service (74%), price promises on products (74%) and consistency across stores and online (73%).
Aliyah Siddika, associate retail analyst at GlobalData, said: “Marks & Spencer’s narrow lead in consumer trust over John Lewis & Partners is not guaranteed to remain in 2026. John Lewis & Partners has the infrastructure to communicate its quality and value-for-money message more clearly with its revived “Never Knowingly Undersold” promise, which could help it overtake Marks & Spencer in the future.
“Notably, John Lewis ranks second despite a smaller store footprint, indicating the strength of its proposition and the potential for further momentum. Marks & Spencer must ensure that it remains committed to its focus on security and promoting its unique, quality-focused own-brand to retain shoppers’ trust.”
“The most-trusted UK retailers are those that translate quality and value into clear, customer-facing signals. Retailers must offer distinctive, high-quality own-brand ranges that feel genuinely hard to replace. Shoppers also respond to credible value cues such as Tesco’s Finest range, which, paired with Clubcard Prices, makes the quality and value trade-off easy to see at the shelf edge.”
https://www.drapersonline.com/news/ms-named-most-trustworthy-retailer-in-uk
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