Jump in sales at M&S Direct

Online sales at Marks and Spencer rose by almost half over the summer, figures released today show.

M&S Direct’s sales rose by 49% in the 13 weeks to October 2, the retailer said today. In a second quarter trading statement the company said it had made progress rolling out its multichannel ordering service, Shop Your Way. The service, which allows customers to order clothing, beauty and homewares in store, online or over the phone for delivery to home or store, is now available in 434 shops and, said the company, “continues to be very popular.”

At the same time, M&S reported a 6.5% improvement in group sales, while like-for-like UK sales rose by 5.3%. General merchandise was up by 7% and food by 3.7%.

The company said areas including men’s suits, knitwear and food were attracting customers looking for quality and value.

Marc Bolland, chief executive, said: “Customers are returning to quality. In food they are responding well to our better value and innovation, and in clothing are increasingly choosing M&S’s great fashions and quality that lasts.” 



However M&S added that trading conditions were likely to become “more challenging” as disposable income was hit by January’s VAT increase and public spending cuts. Commodity prices were also increasing. “We remain cautious about the outlook for the remainder of this year and next,” it said.