1. Marks and Spencer en
China
Group 9:
Ankur Mukherjee(2014007)
Khayal Dave(2014023)
Abbas Bhinderwala(2014002)
Krati Jain(2014091)
Priti Kumari(2014162)
Mousumi Dey(2014154)
Sumpunn Kapoor(2014060)
2. Facts
Broad retailer
Women’s and men’s clothing, children clothing, housewares, foods and gifts under
various brand
Origin-United Kingdom but has footprints in Europe, the Middle East and Asia
By 2012, M&S had 337 stores in 41 countries
1100 stores in United Kingdom and in 43 other countries
Which employed 80,000 employees worldwide
Vision
To sell high quality , great value clothing and home products and outstanding quality
food
3. Best Practices
Adapted entry strategy according to market
Acquisitions in Canada, JV with Marinopoulos Group in Greece, Russia, Bulgaria and
Switzerland
Franchise model in Middle East (Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates)
Started with acquisition of Brook Brothers(supermarket chain) in Japan and later
wholly owned subsidiaries
Wholly owned subsidiaries in China and JV with Reliance (Govt. regulations) in India
Developed Two Management Teams : One Focused On UK market and the other on
International Markets
4. Director of International
Operations
Director MiddleEast Director Asia
Head Business Development
China-Country Head
Director Europe
International Team
(Merchandising and Marketing)
Best Practices(Continued)
Tailor product to a country’s needs
Shorter skirts in Greece and longer ones in Turkey
Snugger fitting clothes, French wines in France
Discontinued policy to sell only British-made goods
Cheaper to source from India, Pakistan, China and Vietnam
Simplified, focussed and accountable hierarchy
5. Problems In China
Chinese consumers thought that M&S clothing were directed towards 40-50 year olds
Because clothes were expensive & older people were less reluctant to spend money
Stores located in faraway suburbs populated with senior citizens
Have to increase sales in China
Shopping market expected to grow from 609 Bn Euors in 2011 - 950 Bn Euors by 2015
Shift towards purchasing of expensive foods coupled with strong economic growth
Pricing
Core values of quality, affordability and service
Unaffordable to most Chinese consumers (even food was comparatively expensive)
Imbalance as in the case of rice and wine
6. Problems In China(Continued)
Unprepared launch in China
Poor paint job, scuffed walls, poor collection, customs problems etc.
Lost on first impression
High power distance & low collectivism
This might make them think that western clothes are still aspirational and not actually
affordable
3 stores in 2011-12 were located on the outskirts of Shanghai
Was contradictory to their convenient location strategy
7. Lack of Market Research
Low local responsiveness (Sizing mistakes, dull merchandising, outdated,
unfashionable)
Consumers were not educated about M&S products (Chinese crackers mistake)
Other minor problems included no promotional material, western looking mannequins,
photos etc.
Basically they didn’t research the Chinese market thoroughly as China has many cultural,
behavioural differences as compared to other countries as well as differences within China
itself
Problems In China(Continued)
8. Solution
Branding
Choose local brand ambassadors to improve connect with consumers
Stores should be bright and new collections need to be put on display to attract
young to middle-age population
Local specificities
Need to design and switch clothes according to local needs
More intensive market research and feedback from customers are needed
Locations
Stick to convenient location strategy as it will increase visibility
Stores should be larger in size (1500 sq. ft v/s 3500 sq. ft) to show product ranges
9. Solution
Local Employment
Employ more local employees so that they get the sizing and pricing right
Focus groups
Understand Chinese consumers better to understand fashion trends, store layouts, food
preferences and tastes etc.
Test markets
New strategies should not be universally implemented across China but should be
implemented in regions doing well and with continuous feedback they can tweak
products as needed