July 31, 2009 by amucklow
125 years at M&S
100 years Selfridges
Two British institutions and high street giants are celebrating big birthdays this year.
Most of us can hardly have failed to have missed Marks ‘n’ Sparks 125th birthday, what with the penny bazaar and all the vintage packaging currently seen in store. The campaign offers comfort for the cash strapped recession swamped consumers. Harking back to the good ol’ days, also reminds customers how important M&S is as a feature on the British High Street.
With less stores around the UK, it may come as a surprise to those who manage to avoid Oxford Street, that up-market department store Selfridges is 100 years old in 2009. The brain child of an American named Harry George, yep you’ve guessed it, Selfridge, it opened in 1909 and according to some, effectively put London on the retail map. Selfridge wanted his new store to stand out from other department stores and to encourage people to part with their hard earned cash endevoured to make shopping a fun experience rather than a chore. The centenary celebrations at Selfridges focus on looking to the future and predicting where fashion will be in another 100 years.
More pics to follow soon…
July 13, 2009 by amucklow
An article last week in The Times reported that Marks and Spencers have been accused of hypocrisy over the suppliers they share with value retailer Primark. Last week Primark confirmed they shared suppliers not only with M&S but also with other big high street brands. Read the article and let us know what you think. Is this hypocrisy? What are big brands doing to ensure greater supply-chain transparency?
June 17, 2009 by amucklow
Marks and Spencers have just released their latest ‘How We Do Business Report’ in which they note how the company has fared over the last year. Part of this report is about Plan A and how the company has met some of the targets they have set. According to this report of the 100 commitments outlined in Plan A 39 have been met, with 24 of these commitments being extended further still. It is also stated that despite the economic downturn, the initial £200 million investment two years ago has been turned into a cost positive position – and Plan A is being turned into a viable business model.
The report makes very interesting reading with the five key areas of the plan being addressed: climate change, waste, sustainable raw materials, being a fair partner and health.
The reprot can be downloaded from here.
