Modern two-story shops with beautifully decorated windows attract everybody who walks along the main streets of British cities. The stylish brand name of Marks & Spencer is known to all Britons and guests of the United Kingdom. In addition, this brand has millions of fans in other countries of the world. Learn more at leedska.
Marks & Spencer, also known as M&S, is a popular high-end clothing, luxury homeware, fashion home accessories and quality food retail brand. Its first trade spot was opened in 1884. Since then, this brand has rapidly gained momentum and has become one of the most innovative in the premium segment. As of 2023, there were more than 1,064 stores in Great Britain and 406 in other parts of the world.
In this article, we will tell you how an ordinary resident of Yorkshire and a Jewish immigrant managed to turn a market stall in Leeds into one of the most popular global retail chains.
A popular stall on Kirkgate Market
The history of Marks & Spencer begins with the difficult life story of Michael Marks. He was a Jew who had to flee from his hometown of Slonim (modern Belarus) due to oppression and repression by the Russian Empire. Michael Marks emigrated to Leeds in 1882. Starting a new life was difficult for him because Marks didn’t speak English and didn’t have a job. Despite all the difficulties, he managed to find a job in a company that provided work opportunities for Jewish refugees.
Later, Michael Marks met the famous businessman of the city of Leeds, Isaac Dewhirst. He owned the Dewhirst wholesale company. Marks began working there, actively selling the company’s goods in nearby villages and at local markets.
Isaac Dewhirst not only provided him his first permanent job but also actively helped in the study of the language and gave him a loan of £5. Thanks to that support, Michael was able to open his first stall, Marks Penny Bazaar, on Leeds Kirkgate Market. Despite minimal knowledge of the English language and little funds, the aspiring businessman managed to sell a lot of cheap goods, such as hairpins, paints, carbon black, toys, musical notes, and more. All buyers were attracted by the slogan Don’t ask the price – it’s just a Penny.
Goods for a penny became very popular among buyers quite quickly. Michael decided to look for a partner who would help him manage the business. In 1894, Isaac Dewhirst rejected an offer to start a joint business with him but offered to contact his chief cashier, Tom Spencer. That’s how one of the most enduring success stories in the clothing industry (Marks & Spencer) was born. They also started cooperation with Dewhirst, which became one of the main privileged suppliers of Marks & Spencer.
The beginning of a big business
Tom Spencer invested £300 in business development. Together, they continued to expand and develop it, creating new stalls and shops called Penny Bazaars. Businessmen followed the basic rule – all goods for a penny. However, they added the slogan Admission free. It was a successful marketing strategy that encouraged customers to browse the shelves without any commitment to purchase. By the early 1900s, Marks & Spencer had expanded to 12 Penny Bazaars and 24 stalls. In addition, they acquired a warehouse on Derby Street in Manchester. It was the company’s first headquarters.
After the deaths of Tom Spencer in 1905 and Michael Marks in 1907, a long legal battle began between Simon Marks and William Chapman. It ended with the 28-year-old Simon becoming the company’s chairman in 1916.
By 1915, there were 145 M&S stores, offering customers cheap and simple goods, such as cookies, pins, combs, needles, socks, etc.
The company maintained penny prices until the First World War. Then the goods became expensive and difficult to get. The residents primarily needed buttons, needles and threads to update their old clothes. Therefore, the employees of Marks & Spencer worked hard to provide them with goods that were in the greatest demand.
An updated assortment and increased princes
Marks & Spencer has always been quick to respond to customer needs. In the post-war years, they had to reduce the range of products offered, focusing on two directions, namely food products and quality clothing.
M&S began to actively create and sew affordable quality clothes. In 1926, the bra line was launched for the first time and became the most iconic product by Marks & Spencer.
A few years later, the company established a research laboratory, which conducted preliminary testing of clothing and created new innovative fabrics. Over four years, the laboratory managed to conduct more than 9,000 tests on the wearing, washing and durability of textiles.
Demand for affordable home goods (decorative tea sets, light bulbs, irons and batteries) gradually began to grow. The company’s management began to actively support the company’s employees by creating a social security service. It guaranteed pensions for its workers and also provided additional medical and dental services, visits to hairdressing salons and camping sites as well as free meals in canteens.
In 1935, visitors to stores had the opportunity to have a delicious and affordable snack in special cafes by the M&S company. The first such cafe was opened in a Leeds shop. There were 82 of them by 1942.
Post-war life and development of the brand
At the beginning of World War II, Marks & Spencer had 234 stores. By 1945, more than 100 of them were damaged by bombs and 16 were completely destroyed. The company partly continued functioning during the war thanks to practical innovation and the tremendous efforts of its employees. M&S quickly responded to the needs of the residents again, creating quality simple clothes at the lowest price. By the way, Harry Atkinson, a Marks & Spencer technologist, helped the British government develop a clothing standards scheme. In general, the company made a lot of effort to improve products and also experimented with new technologies and fabrics.
In 1948, for the first time, customers were given the opportunity to choose and shop independently, moving freely between counters in Marks & Spencer stores. It led to great success, which became a model for other stores.
Innovations and further development
In 1953, Marks & Spencer launched the first series of Petite Clothing for short-height women, which immediately became very popular. In addition, the company introduced a new exchange and refund policy.
Among other innovations of M&S are products made of artificial fabric terylene. It is a popular type of polyester that is very practical and durable.
In addition, this company was one of the first to look for safe ways to sell chilled, but not frozen, meat. Thus, fresh meat was transported in chiller lorries, stored in cold rooms and sold from refrigerated counters at 4°C.
In early 1972, the stores started to sell frozen lasagne and pizza. A year later, 100 Marks & Spencer stores started to sell semi-finished products and gained huge popularity among citizens. In addition, the company introduced a product expiration date system, which guaranteed consumers freshness and quality.
In 1979, the company launched Chicken Kyiv, which became a national favourite.
In addition, the company actively worked on current trends in the world of fashion, developing models of comfortable and high-quality clothing. Patricia Fields, George Davies and Paul Smith contributed to the creation of new and more exclusive lines, such as Per Una and Autograph.
Demonstration and marketing have always been key elements in the presentation of M&S fashion lines. After all, attractive and innovative storefronts were very important before the introduction of mass advertising. At first, the advertising was focused on the opening of new stores. Then the company began to hire models and published their photos in the media. The heyday of this form of mass marketing was in the 1990s when Marks & Spencer began cooperation with such supermodels as Linda Evangelista and Claudia Schiffer.
Like any other brand in today’s world, M&S has evolved in accordance with the needs and expectations of its customers. They changed to suit the diverse preferences of their audience without losing sight of their core motivations.
In 2012, the company opened the Marks & Spencer Archive in the Michael Marks Building in Leeds. It stores more than 72,000 elements related to the turbulent history of the legendary brand.