Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/01/2013 -- M&S continues to work hard in rejuvenating its portfolio of own brands within clothing, footwear and homewares, to better segment ranges which target customer groups more effectively, while its premium food continues to drive total UK sales growth in 2012. This company briefing includes estimated sales data and market shares for M&S' clothing categories, footwear, homewares and food & grocery

Scope of this Report

- Compare your allocation of clothing retail space with M&S by uncovering Verdict's data on the space dedicated to over 30 product categories.
- Justify and inform development of sub brands in homewares by uncovering M&S' recent activity in this area and the impact on sales.
- Understand the range of purchasing channels that M&S offers its customers in order to maximise the potential of your own ecommerce proposition.
- Benchmark M&S' performance in food & grocery by using Verdict's proprietary sales data and market share estimates for the sector.
- Consider your own international expansion strategy by building awareness of M&S' international plans and future opportunities for new market entries.

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Report Highlights

Like the speculation in the run up to Q4's 2012/13 announcement suggested, it was a disappointing set of results for M&S' general merchandise arm. However, the shining light in the Q4 results, and for the whole of this financial year, is its food offer, with l-f-l sales up 4.0%.

M&S' convenience offer has been fundamental to its continued sales growth in food throughout the downturn. Moreover, its Dine In offers will ensure the retailer remains a food destination for shoppers, while developments in its entry level and scratch cooking ranges will encourage consumers to use M&S for more than just a treat

M&S sees a lot of potential in its e-commerce arm, M&S Direct, which Verdict forecasts to grow sales by 17.4% in 2012/13 to GBP656m. The retailer is now targeting online sales of between GBP800.0m and GBP1.0bn by 2013/14, which should be achievable - though it should prepare for online growth to slow as new consumer uptake reduces

Reasons to Get this Report

- How have M&S' clothing sales and densities developed and how does Verdict see this changing? How does it allocate its space between categories?
- What are M&S' goals around own brand development in clothing and footwear and international expansion of stores and online?
- Which customer segments visit M&S for food & grocery? What is its share of each demographic group? Will changes to its price architecture alter this?
- What is M&S' 2013 share of the UK clothing, womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, accessories, footwear, homewares and food & grocery markets?

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