Major Causes of Sales Decline in Marks and Spencer in UK

Consultancy project
report

Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................1
Overview of Research............................................................................................................1
Background of Research.........................................................................................................1
Rationale of Research.............................................................................................................3
Research Aim.........................................................................................................................3
Research Objectives...............................................................................................................3
Research Questions................................................................................................................4
Outline of Methodology.........................................................................................................4
Research significance.............................................................................................................4
Dissertation Structure.............................................................................................................5
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................................7
Current trends in the Retail sector..........................................................................................7
Major causes behind sales decline of M&S...........................................................................9
Revamping stores and website as a strategy to encourage sales for M&S...........................11
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................13
Type of investigation............................................................................................................13
Research Philosophy............................................................................................................14
Research Approach...............................................................................................................15
Research Strategy.................................................................................................................15
Research Design...................................................................................................................16
Data collection......................................................................................................................17
Data Analysis........................................................................................................................18
Sampling...............................................................................................................................18
Ethical Consideration...........................................................................................................19
Validity and reliability..........................................................................................................19

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION .........................................................................21
DISCUSSION................................................................................................................................43
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS..........................................................................46
Chapter overview..................................................................................................................46
Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................46
Research Implications / Recommendations..........................................................................47
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................49

TOPIC: To investigate the major causes behind decline in sales of Marks and Spencer in
UK.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Overview of Research
Sales are the activities concerned to selling the products and services in given period of
time. It is contract among buyer and seller of specific service or goods. Sales identified that seller
gives consumer with products in exchange for particular assets or money. To finish sale, both
seller and consumer have to considered to be more competent to make transaction. To increase
sales of business, marketing department plays a necessary role. Company should focus on
producing goods on the basis of customer demand and also providing them goods accordingly.
Through this, they will be loyal towards it and sustain for long period of time. This investigation
is based on main causes behind decline in the sales of Marks and Spencer in UK. It explains the
causes of sales in detailed manner. It provides information about the main factors which
negatively impact on sales of company (Amankwah-Amoah, Zhang and Sarpong, 2013). The
literature review will be conducted by using the secondary sources which provide information
within less period of time. Through using research methodology, researcher can able to gather
information and analyse for getting positive conclusion.
Background of Research
Marks & Spencer is British multinational retailer founded in year 1884. It is specialising
in selling the home products, foods items and high quality of the clothing. Now it started to sell
the branded products such as Kellogg Corn Flakes. This company has more than 1463 stores in
different countries of world including United Kingdom. The mission of Marks & Spencer is to
build core values on value, innovation quality and trust. It provides high quality of goods to
which can satisfy needs and demands of consumers (Bian and Veloutsou, 2017). Marks &
Spencer company might not be most used supermarket of nation but every year this taps more in
to grocery market of UK that focus from clothing to the food retail. This organisation is having
the massive end of season out that slashing cost of chosen home ware and fashion items across
all the departments. The firm has been reported fall in sales as well as in profits as this continues
to execute main programme. In this, pre – tax profits were down by 10% in year to 31 March at
£523.2m (Riley, 2019). Closure of the 14 stores of Marks and Spencer paradise these all the loss

upcoming jobs come off back of “radical transformation” of firm that has been seen firm close
almost 22 clothing stores. round 600 jobs. This is anticipating that with close of 100 stores there
will be 4300 jobs at risk (Burt and et. al., 2012).
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Rationale of Research
This research is taken in to consideration on major causes behind decline in sales of
Marks and Spencer in UK. Potential reason to conduct this investigation is that it conducts wide
area of the study that explores knowledge and idea base of a learner strong which interested in
same area of the study. It helps in increase knowledge of learner so that it can able to perform
research activities in an effective manner without facing any issues. This present study has the
practical and academic importance so it gives brief analysis on chosen research area. It helps
learner in improving and enhancing academic skills (Christopher, Peck and Towill, 2014).
Through this, learner can able to perform any research in future without arising any kind of issue.
On the other hand, present study is valuable in executing academic knowledge in to the practical
life so it has the effective options for people which having professional motives in relation to the
business.
Research Aim
It is a necessary part of research as whole activities are based on particular problems
which depicted in research aim (Cowling and et. al., 2015). The research aim provides detailed
information to determine issues and reduce gap in research. It helps in generate the testable and
measurable data that adding gradually to accumulation of knowledge.
The aim of this investigation is “To investigate the major causes behind decline in sales
of Marks and Spencer in UK.”
Research Objectives
These are explained what an investigation is trying to be attain. They mainly summarise
accomplishments that investigator wishes to be accomplish by project and also give proper
direction to study. The research objective is concise, declarative and clear statement that give
proper direction to research particular variables. The main focus of research objective is to
measure variables and explained them in a detailed manner. Mainly the research objectives are
expressed in to lay terms and directed to clients as to an investigator. It is concrete statement that
explaining what an investigation is trying to be attain (Dauvergne and Lister, 2012). The research
objectives are given below:
 To determine the current trends in the Retail sector.
 To investigate the major causes behind sales decline of M&S.
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 To evaluate revamping stores and website as a strategy to encourage sales for M&S.
Research Questions
The research questions are based on research objectives and they need to be solve by
conducting an investigation (Goworek, 2011). It gives specifics that audience can understand the
purpose of research in an easy manner without requiring the additional explanation. It aids the
learner to focus on an investigation through giving path by research process.
 What are the current trends in the Retail sector?
 What are major causes behind sales decline of M&S?
 What are revamping stores and website as a strategy to encourage sales for M&S?
Outline of Methodology
Methodology is explained as theoretical and systematic analysis of methods which
applied to study area. It is comprising theoretical analysis of body of the methods which are
related with knowledge branch. It allows reader to evaluate validity as well as reliability of
overall study. In conducting this investigation, methodology consists research methods which
helps in conducting an investigation in systematic manner. After then it includes research
philosophies, approaches and research design (Gray, 2015). These all are the most necessary part
of an investigation. Data collection is one of most important part because through this researcher
can collect data by using primary and secondary data. By adopting primary and secondary
research methods, relevant, authentic as well as reliable information will be gathered by
investigator in an effective manner, so that they can conclude the whole dissertation in a
systematic way. Both methods provide information from different sources and gives the relevant
outcomes effectively. For collecting the data, there is an effective sampling methods developed
through researcher.
Research significance
This research is based on the major causes behind decline in sales of Marks and Spencer
in UK. It states the particular issue related to the research area. It gives the detailed information
about main reason by which the sales of Marks & Spencer decline in United Kingdom. It gives
the effective explanation about particular area and find out the effective solutions to raise
company sales significantly (Gschwandtner, 2014). By conducting the research in an effective
manner, management team of Marks & Spencer can easily identify the issues which reduces the
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overall sales of the company at competitive marketplace. With the help of analysing these factors
within given time frame, higher authorities can effectively modify their strategies and policies
according to the changing situations.
Dissertation Structure
Dissertation is document that submitted in support of person presenting research and
findings. Structure of dissertation provides a guideline to conduct an investigation in a systematic
manner. It is necessary that structure of dissertation should include the basic components such as
title page, introduction, literature review etc. All these components provide better guidance to
follow all the dissertation steps for conducting an investigation in a systematic manner
(Haddock-Millar and Rigby, 2015). Different components included in dissertation structure
mention below:
Introduction: This chapter define basic outline about doing a dissertation. It specifies the
basic concept of an investigation and also brief summary to provide complicated layout layer. It
is necessary that everything that is considered in introduction should be clear, engaging and also
relevant to research area. It is the first and initial section of the dissertation where aim and
objectives related to investigation are developed which provides the detailed information about
the topic. Introduction part should be close with paragraph that leading in to main part of
dissertation smoothly.
Literature Review: It surveys current state of literature on dissertation area and also
defined why dissertation is original in nature. This is obligatory part of substantive investigation
of dissertation. In this research part, data and information collected through using the secondary
sources such as journals, articles and books. These all sources provide reliable information
within less period of time (He, Brinsden and MacGregor, 2014). In addition to this, review of
different authors is developed to fill gap in choice of literature and provides list of the sources
which have been relevance to existing work.
Research Methodology: It explains about conduct an investigation and also permit a
learner to assess validity. This part consists primary qualitative or quantitative investigation but
not needed in the dissertation in to theory subjects on secondary investigation. The research
methodology sections provide guidelines to collect data and information in systematic manner.
Along with this, both primary as well as secondary method of data collection are going to be
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