Marks & Spencer


Marks and Spencer

Marks and Spencer Group plc, commonly referred to simply as Marks & Spencer or M&S in most households, is a multinational retail corporation based in the United Kingdom. The company specialises in the retail of luxury food products, clothing and homeware. Their customers can browse through a fine selection of locally-sourced or internationally-accumulated fruit, vegetables, meat and more. Shoppers can also find tinned food and upmarket convenience frozen meals on their shelves, as well as soft drinks or alcoholic beverages. They also sell a range of clothing items and even small home furnishings.

The company was originally founded in Leeds in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer and up until 2009, they only sold own-label products. They have over 950 stores throughout the United Kingdom, with over 84,000 employees working for the company. The majority of their branches are based in the UK and Ireland – the largest of which is a 16,000 square feet megastore on Oxford Street, London. The company also does business internationally and have opened stores in various countries worldwide including France, the Philippines and the Netherlands.

Marks And Spencer Opening Times & Store Locations

With over 950 stores located throughout the country, there is a strong possibility that one is located near you. London is the city with the highest concentration of branches, but you will find branches in all big cities like Manchester, Bristol, NewCastle and more. The company has many store formats, but the most common form is a core shop – which usually includes food and clothing.

The Marks and Spencer opening times of their core shops vary depending on the location; although typical Marks and Spencer opening times are from 7/8am to 9/10pm, with reduced hours on Sundays and national holidays including Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Easter Monday, and Good Friday. Despite the uncertainty between stores and at certain times of the year local Marks and Spencer opening times near you can be consulted using the branch locator here at opening-times.co.uk.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Marks and Spencer

Marks & Spencer is one of the largest retail corporations in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company is a household name and it is rare to find someone who has never heard of them, or even been a customer of the company. But here are 5 things that you didn’t know about Marks and Spencer:

  1. For over a hundred years, the establishment’s headquarters were located on Baker Street, London, before relocating across the city to Paddington Basin in 2004
  2. The founders Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer were from Slonim, Belarus and Skipton, United Kingdom, respectively
  3. The company started out as a small stall in Leeds’ Kirkgate Market, the largest covered market hall in Europe
  4. Many famous stars and celebrities have been involved in media campaigns for the company, including Claudia Schiffer, Antonio Banderas and Joanna Lumley - they are well-known for their Christmas television campaigns
  5. In 1997 and 1998, Marks & Spencer was the second most profitable retailer in the world

Products & Services

Marks & Spencer offer a wide range of products and services including, but not limited to, food, wine, clothing, health and beauty products, flowers, hampers and gifts, children’s items and seasonal products.

The products you find within in a store often depend on the shop format. The most common formats are:

Core shops. This is the most prevalent shop format and generally contains food items and clothing ranges. Depending on the size and location, sometimes they will also have a home department.

M&S Foodhall. These supermarkets were the result of a rebrand in the year 2000 and are shops that only deal with the sale of food items.

Hospitality. Many of the large Marks and Spencer shops provide hospitality outlets such as table service restaurants, luxury deli bars and hot food to go.

Home Stores. Since 2007 various dedicated home furnishing stores have been opened all across the UK, including in Cheltenham, Lisburn and Manchester.

Outlet Stores. There are over 50 Marks & Spencer outlet stores in the UK. These shops typically offer a sizeable discount from the original price on various products.  

During the mid-2000s, Marks and Spencer also launched an online service to keep pace with Tesco’s home shopping delivery service. The service has been growing rapidly and now accounts for more than half of the company’s trade in the Republic of Ireland.

A Brief History

Marks & Spencer was formed in Leeds by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in 1884. The domestic growth was accelerated throughout the 20th Century and led to the company venturing into the international market. 1998 was the peak of the company’s financial success and it became the first British company to make a pre-tax profit of over £1 billion. A subsequent decline in business led to a surprising stump before a leadership change in 2009 and 2010 began to steady the ship.

More Clothing in the UK

Marks & Spencer closed? Then try one of the other Clothing nearby.