Marks and Spencer 2012 Annual Report Download - page 31

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Marks and Spencer Group plc Annual report and financial statements 2012 29
Overview Strategic review Financial review Governance Financial statements and other information
Strategic review
Return to France
Trading over three
floors, our new Paris
store occupies a
flagship location on the
iconic Champs Élysées
The store attracted over
2,600 customers on its
opening day and we’re
now growing our
presence in Paris, with
plans announced for
four further stores.
Across France
customers can also
access M&S through
our first international
website.
Looking good
With our new visual merchandising
team we are establishing an
international centre of excellence
for product handling. Thanks to
new guidelines, each clothing
sub-brand is now displayed to its
fullest potential in store – helping
customers identify which fashion
brand best meets their own style.
International shipping
We’ve reduced the
proportion of
international goods
shipped via the UK by
13% which improves
efficiency, reduces
costs and gets
products to countries
quicker. Over 35% of
stock now moves direct
to destination via our
four regional hubs in Sri
Lanka, China, Istanbul
and Singapore.
Strengthening franchise
partnerships
We want customers
wherever we trade to
experience the same
M&S, regardless of the
business model behind it.
We aligned ourselves
more closely with our
franchise partners to
provide more trading
support in areas such as
cataloguing and engaged
them in the M&S brand
at events such as our
Partner Conferences.
Addressing key
issues
We placed an
experienced M&S retail
team in our Czech
operations to help
refocus the business.
We realigned pricing
and introduced a new
look format to our
Prague store. These
measures improved
performance in this
important region and
we are now rolling this
out across 48 stores
in the Czech Republic,
Poland, Slovakia,
Lithuania, Latvia
and Estonia.
Tot al Europe:
157 s to r e s
four new stores opened (-1 net)
Total Middle East and North Africa:
12 2 sto re s
20 new stores opened (+16 net)
Tot al Asia:
10 8 store s
13 new stores opened (+11 net)
35%
Growth