Marks and Spencer 2009 Annual Report Download - page 29

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Our heritage
125 years of M&S
Over the last 125 years... we have built Your M&S into a brand
that is the envy of businesses worldwide. Our five founding
principles – Quality, Value, Service, Innovation and Trust –
are central to everything we do, and ensure our offer remains
as relevant as ever for each new generation of customers.
Celebrating 125 years
Throughout 2009/10 we will celebrate our 125th anniversary in different
ways with our customers and employees. We are resurrecting old product
favourites such as Eccles Cakes, as well as giving a modern twist to classic
fashion, with our Dresses of the Decades. We are especially proud of our
partnership with the University of Leeds that will showcase our extensive
archive collection to the public for the first time.
Quality
We earned our reputation for quality by establishing strict criteria that we
continue to follow today. In 1926 we adopted the revolutionary policy of
buying directly from our manufacturers, which enabled us to get involved in
the production process and more closely influence price, quality, and design.
Value
‘Don’t Ask the Price it’s a Penny’ was our first value slogan, propped up
on Michael Marks’ Penny Bazaar stall in the Kirkgate Market in Leeds.
We have continued to offer value for every purse – good, at the opening price
point, through to better and best at the more luxurious end of our ranges.
Service
Our broad customer demographic gives us a unique position in the UK.
We have never been complacent about this and strive to offer great
customer service, so we can meet the nation’s every need. In 1935 we
introduced the first M&S Café, and we are now the UK’s fourth largest
coffee shop chain. Fitting rooms were first installed as a trial in our Plymouth
store in 1977 and we branched out to the Internet in 1999.
Innovation
From crease-free linen and machine washable silk, to selling the UK’s first
Iceberg lettuce in 1980 – where M&S leads, others follow. In 1968 we
began selling ‘avocado pears’. The name caused confusion though, with
customers serving them as a dessert with custard. We quickly dropped
the ‘pear’ and issued instruction on how to prepare the avocados as part
of a salad. Today we continue to innovate, with new ranges such as Cook
Asian 1234.
Trust
At M&S we have always nurtured the belief that business conducted ethically
and responsibly can deliver benefits. For example in 1975 Marcus Sieff, then
Chairman, wrote to The Times detailing how we had reduced energy
consumption by £500,000. Over the years customers have come to rely
on us to do the right thing, a responsibility we do not take lightly. Plan A
builds on this heritage and goes back to the belief that being responsible
can also be profitable.
125 YEARS OF SERVICE
Below: Self service The revolutionary ‘self-service’
food hall was trialled in the Wood Green store
in 1948 allowing customers to browse and shop
the aisles for the first time, rather than being
served from behind counters.
125 YEARS OF INNOVATION
Above: International recipes In 1974 we
delivered sweet and sour pork and chicken korma
to the British family table when we became one of
the first retailers to sell Chinese and Indian recipes.
125 YEARS OF QUALITY
Above: In the lab In 1934 we were the first British
retailer to set up a Scientific Research Laboratory
to pre-test garments and develop innovative new
fabrics. Our Food Technology department followed
in 1946. Both departments continue today as we
test and develop everything from shrinkage and
colour-stay in clothing to texture and taste in food.
Marks and Spencer Group plc Annual report and financial statements 2009 Directors’ report