Our menswear customer is predominately
female, accounting for more than 60% of
sales, and influencing a further 34% of
purchases. She buys on a ‘needs’ basis and
wants to quickly find what she is looking for.
In response we have provided a clear menu
of menswear brands and have a defined
strategy to take each of them forward over
the coming year.
'Autograph' which offers sharper styles
and contemporary designs, will grow to
include more casual separates. We will also
expand our Autograph Essentials offer of
footwear and underwear. 'Blue Harbour' will
go back to its roots and deliver the smarter,
sharper clothes that the brand was originally
famous for. 'North Coast' which sat under the
Blue Harbour umbrella, is now a standalone
brand. We will continue to develop its casual
look, with a very different signature style to
Blue Harbour. 'Collezione' offers classic
pieces in well-cut Italian fabrics. We have
identified a similar gap in our menswear offer
as the one we saw in womenswear, which
led to the launch of 'Portfolio'. To meet this
need we will re-vamp 'Collezione' to make
it more appropriate for our 40+ customers
and include more core classic items
and coordinates.
An expectation that M&S represents good value
is core to the shopping decisions of our male
customers, who account for the remaining 40% of menswear sales. Aside from a desire
to buy investment pieces, our male customer
is almost always drawn to the best deal,
which is why our recent deals and offers in
formalwear of a free shirt and tie with every
suit, were snapped up.
Whether it is our water repellent ‘StormwearTM’
or our climate control underwear developed
in conjunction with NASA, innovative products
always sell well in menswear. We have kitted
out the British and Irish Lions in our new ‘Ultimate
Suit’ for their tour of South Africa over the
summer. The suits use revolutionary technology
to ensure the pure wool jacket and trousers
keep their shape, the lining remains cool, the
exterior is water repellent, and the ties are
stain resistant.
Additionally, the launch of our miracle
no-crease linen, produced by our oldest
textile supplier in Italy, proved the new and
old blend perfectly at M&S.
We are confident of the adjustments we are
making to our brands in menswear, and the
first changes will be visible in stores by autumn
2009. Although the menswear market is
relatively small, with fewer players than the
womenswear market, we see an opportunity
to take a bigger share by growing our
casualwear, footwear and accessories offer.