Mark and Spencer: Business Development Report - [Course Name]

This report provides an overview of Mark and Spencer (M&S), a UK-based retail company, tracing its history and expansion. It examines M&S's strategic initiatives, including online shopping and targeted brands for women, men, and athletes. The report highlights the role of motivation and learning in M&S's success, particularly in adapting to online shopping trends and maintaining customer satisfaction. It also analyzes M&S's current success, focusing on its premium product strategy, consistency in pricing, and the impact of managerial attitudes and technology. Furthermore, the report includes a SWOT analysis and marketing recommendations, such as identifying market gaps and focusing on market penetration to enhance emotional attachment with customers. The report emphasizes M&S's commitment to quality, value, and customer service, which has helped them maintain a strong market position despite competitive challenges.

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MARK AND SPENCER REPORT
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Overview of the Company (Mark and Spencer)
Mark and Spencer (abbreviated as M&S), a UK retail company has a history which dates
back to 1884 when it was first established by a Russian born Polish. Since then, the company has
grown and opened more than 300 stores across the world apart from being the largest clothing
retailer in the United Kingdom. The company has always been competitive in the market through
implementation of new market techniques to attract and retain their consumers. For example,
they introduced the online shopping platform in 1999 which was available in their official
website enabling their customers to shop at the comfort of their homes. At the time, the internet
has just begun to get into the general population and therefore, Mark and Spencer took the
advantage at the right moment (Marks and Spencer, 2018)).
It was in 2000 when the Mark and Spencer came up with healthy ‘count on us’ varied
products which were fit to the individuals on diet. They opened ‘simply food’ stores in
Twickenham and Surbiton in 2001 whereby, these stores only dealt with healthy food only
unlike the rest of their normal stores which supplied clothes and other home furnishing products.
Their target market included;
Women
The M&S realized that they needed to be on the lead in terms of looking for high class
customers who will not only boost their turnover but also bring more profits to the firm. A ‘Per
Una’ brand of clothing was an initiative of the company to target women who were conscious to
fashion.

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Men
M&S started a “Blue Harbour” brand of clothes which target male individuals who were
into the casual wear. This brand of clothes were high end in terms of standards and quality. The
brand was officially launched in January 2001.
Athletes
The company also targeted the sports individuals by introducing the ‘View form’ in 2002.
DB07 clothing were for children. The company did the design of this sportswear in collaboration
with David Beckham.
The company works in strict compliance with their mission statement which is split into
three sub-sections, that is; Vision- To be the standard in which the rest measures against (Marks
and Spencer, 2018). Values- Quality value, innovation, trust and service to the customers.
Mission- To make an aspirational quality which is available and accessible to everyone. Since
the initiation of the company as well as their mission statement, M&S have kept their word to see
that they achieve all the factors involved.
Role of Motivation and Learning
Mark and Spencer has persisted not only in the UK market, but also oversees due to its
quality of products and their aim to meet individual customer’s demands. M&S has faced a lot of
challenges along their way but they have always tried to keep up to the demands of their
consumers or customers. The company has always been motivated and due to this, many
companies within and outside UK look up to Mark and Spencer to measure themselves against
this giant company thereby helping their company to grow in terms of customers and overall
company growth (employees, profits and turnover) (Gong, Huang and Farh, 2009, p.770).
Motivation helped the company in many ways that include;

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Online shifting
In the current century, online and specifically, mobile shopping in overwhelmingly
increasing and in that case most of the retailers are focusing on optimizing their digital platforms
to suite their customers. In this manner, they cope with competitive environment. The company
executives of the M&S realized this challenge earlier enough and generated a fortune
opportunity by creating and advancing their web experience with customers (Hartline, Mirrokni
and Sundararajan, 2008, p.193). This greatly boost their sales and diversified their marketing
strategies.
M&S ran a successful test program that they implemented using the Webtrends Optimize.
The purpose of the Webtrends team was to provide a valuable input in guiding the company on
the strategic directions, steps and best practices that could gear the company towards their
dreams. This became one of the valuable partnership to Mark and Spencer, and on realizing this,
they capitalized on it and went further to streamline the partnership with the valuable consultants
on their reach.
Value for taste and customer satisfaction
Mark and Spencer has always been in the forefront of other companies when it comes to
valuing their customers’ needs and preferences. The motivation that company has keeps their
customers and attracts even more, thereby expanding their market share. They always consider
the need to be consistent in adapting to the changes in the need of their consumers through
introduction of new products and labels (Mullins, Walker and Boyd, 2012, p. 33). But it is
through their motivation that they have kept their brand consistently for several decades.
Brands Current Success

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Currently, Mark and Spencer has over 33 million customers who are the consumers of
their high quality range of products that includes clothing, food products and homewares. The
company can be said to be successful as it is listed on the FTSE 100. M&S has grown from a
humble background to a today’s multi-channel player. It has well developed and smooth running
online shopping operation coupled with 480 international outlets and over 850 stores within the
United Kingdom.
Sale of premium and quality products
Mark and Spencer found it lucrative in focusing on high quality products that are
specifically targeted to the high class customers. They sell high-value and premium products to
their customers not only in the UK market but also across the globe. Being adamant on their
brand purpose have played the key role in lifting the position of the company’s market share
despite the challenging and ever competitive trading environment (Ryan, 2016, p.131). They
always make their products in such a manner that their clients trust that the company’s products
are worth paying for, that is, irrespective of the prices that are set.
Consistency
Through every moment that has ever come in the UK streets, either favorable or
unfavorable, M&S has always been adamant to changing the prices of their products. Their
prices have always been at premium levels and has always not came below certain limit even if
their competitors slashed their prices to extreme levels (Armstrong Kotler, Harker and Brennan,
2015, p.78). They have been devoted to their initial mission of bringing quality to the British
consumers and therefore, premium prices means high quality to them. To the company, quality
products will always be expensive due to the levels input mechanisms which are also premium
unlike their counterparts (Armstrong et al, 2015, p. 44).

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The company’s prices have always been the key subject on the marketing mix. They
chose high costs which creates an illusion in their current and potential customers that their
products are worth their money (Ottman, 2017). Most of their competitors take the path of
lowering their price costs but contrary to this, Mark and Spencer will maintain their high prices
since they believe that customers will always prefer brand that offers quality over price (Wilson
and Gilligan, 2012, p. 33). They have to hold strongly on the belief that, lowering the prices
would mean compromising the quality of the products in question.
Managers’ attitudes
M&S managers at the stores are strongly committed and this as seen the company
succeed. They offer their full support to the campaign team that advertises the company’s range
of products. Mark and Spencer sail through the challenges and made it to their success since their
managers provided the necessary support through the showcards the provided in-store as well as
in windows (Evans, Campbell & Stonehead, 2010, p. 49). They provided up to five showcards in
stores (depending on the sizes). A single large card could go in store.
Technology
The online shopping that Mark and Spencer initiated has opened a world of opportunities
not online in the United Kingdom but also across the world. This also provides customers with
range of products to choose from when it comes to shopping. Online sales and marketing creates
lot of competition in the market but M&S takes this advantage in showcasing their products and
in letting the world know that their company is an up to date company (Zenker, Eggers and
Farsky, 2013, p.135). www.markandspencers.com is their website, which is a complete website,
and everything that one needs to know about the company will get it in place
Mark and Spencer can just expand on Brown field sites witch limits them to staying in
urban territories with lots of market rivalry. When it comes to legal issues, the government is
continually rethinking and making amendments to laws that governs trade, which empowers
Marks and Spencer's to exchange for longer hours, for instance; longer shopping hours on a
Friday. Imprints and Spencer's must take after publicizing laws which are set up to secure the

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customer, yet additionally to advance reasonable rivalry between organizations (Murray, Gao
and Kotabe, 2011, p. 260). When it comes to SWOT Analysis, the SWOT examination takes a
gander at an organization's qualities, shortcoming, openings and dangers which are probably
going to affect the organization's execution.
One of the keys to the improvement of Marks and Spencer throughout the years has been
the capacity of the brand to meet the consistently changing necessities of a wide client base. The
center brand estimations of value, esteem, administration, development and trust have reliably
remained the foundations of the Marks and Spencer suggestion.
Marketing Recommendations for Mark and Spencer to Increase the Emotional Attachment
Identifying the market gaps
A gap analysis includes recognizing a gap or shortcoming in a particular organization and
hoping to connect that gap keeping in mind the end goal to meet an objective target as to where
the organization needs to be. The accompanying statement promotes distinguish a gap analysis:
"Gap examination, comprises of characterizing the present express, the coveted 'or target state'
and subsequently the gap between them. In the later phases of critical thinking the point is to take
a gander at approaches to overcome any issues (Chaffeyet al., 2009, p. 76). Competition or
rivalry in womenswear has expanded drastically with ladies requesting style, quality, remarkable
esteem and genuine designs and products. All together for Marks and Spencer to recover this
piece of the overall industry they set out an unmistakable arrangement, this included tuning in to
clients better amid store visits, center gatherings, better utilization of market information and
watching out for following patterns, following contenders and furthermore assessing there
possess execution (Chen and Chai, 2010, p. 27). From a buying perspective they hoped to

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reinforce their purchasing groups, giving clearer duties regarding configuration, purchasing and
marketing.
Focus on Market penetration
Market entrance is a development system where the business centers around offering
existing items into existing markets. It looks to accomplish four fundamental destinations:
Maintain or increment the piece of the pie of current items - this can be accomplished by a mix
of focused valuing techniques, publicizing, deals advancement and maybe more assets devoted to
individual offering (Evans, 2012, p. 66). Imprints and Spencer, concerning the thing "Garments",
the organization has demonstrated that they are giving top notch products to customers over the
UK and Europe. Imprints and Spencer began acting in single markets in its starting, expanding
this number to 895 yet. Rebuild a develop showcase by driving out contenders; this would
require a significantly more forceful special battle, upheld by an evaluating procedure intended
to make the market ugly for contenders (Doyle, 2009, p. 98). The foodservice advertise is a
standout amongst the most requesting and modern in which the Marks and Spencer works.
Increment utilization by existing clients - for instance by presenting dependability plans.
Market advancement is where the business tries to offer its current items into new markets. This
may involve investigation of new portions of a market, new uses for the organization's items and
administrations, or new geological regions keeping in mind the end goal to tempt new clients
(Dweck, 2013, p. 56). There are numerous conceivable methods for moving toward this
methodology, including: New land markets; for instance sending out the item to another nation.
In February 2007, Marks and Spencer declared the opening of the world's biggest Marks and
Spencer store outside the UK at Dubai Festival City. On 2 October 2008, Marks and Spencer
opened its first territory China store in Shanghai, which are some case of market advancement.

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References
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Dweck, C.S., 2013. Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality, and development.
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Evans, C., 2012. Managing for knowledge-HR's strategic role. Routledge.

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Evans, N. , Campbell, D. , & Stonehead, G,. (2010). Strategic Management for Travel and
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