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I know what’s wrong at M&S and it’s not the clothes

Fashion maven Jan Shure has been a critic of the store's fashion for years. But now, she says, the style is great. So why are sales figures sliding?

November 22, 2018 12:26
Casual style from the M&S 2018 Autumn Winter collection
4 min read

The headlines earlier this month made it seem as though Marks and Spencer was in dire trouble. In fact, group revenue was down just three per cent. Net debt was significantly reduced and, by many indicators, the high street giant founded by Jewish refugee Michael Marks in 1884 was doing pretty well. Except for one sector. Yes, fashion.

It is not a new problem. I recall writing a story for these pages on the “decline” of M&S fashion in the mid-’80s, when the headlines were all about how M&S clothing was no longer competitively priced.

Of course, the wider take on M&S fashion was slightly different from the JC’s. Let me explain for younger readers: from the mid-’60s to the early ’90s, M&S held a special place in the heart of the Jewish community. It was not just that M&S had been founded and run by prominent and influential members of our community, but the company bought and prominently promoted Israeli fashion.

Much of Israel’s success in the textiles and fashion industry was attributable to M&S’s research, development and purchasing power. Indeed, the strong ties between the M&S founding families and Israel were so clear that, in 1974, former M&S chairman, Teddy Sieff, was the victim of a PLO assassination attempt.