Case Study Marks & Spencer
Building on a 10 year partnership, see the many outstanding uniform ranges we’ve created to bring Marks and Spencer’s ideas to life.
About M&S
Leaders in clothing, home, food, and gifts for over 140 years.
As a retailer of clothing, Marks and Spencer operate an experienced procurement team who understand the importance of staff clothing as both a way of making their staff feel proud of their appearance, and the positive effect of the uniform as an extension of their brand for customer engagement.
M&S had been with their incumbent supplier for 15 years before appointing us as their official uniform supplier due to the flexibility of our service proposal, our innovative online ordering system, the easy availability of detailed management information, and our design creativity and innovative fabric development.
Since 2013, their range of uniforms has evolved and developed in line with changing consumer trends and growing environmental needs.
Not only do we supply a casual design of denim and jersey tops for their stores, we also provide layers of quilted jackets and sweatshirts for colleagues in the more chilly areas of the food hall.
Their most recent uniform offering has taken a more casual, relaxed approach, with M&S wanting their colleagues to present a more approachable look, rather than a traditionally formal tailored look.
The Food Range
A fresh look for selling fresh food.
The Food range was designed with the support of now CEO Stuart Machin. Food halls within M&S were going through a transformation programme. Customers would be able to pick their own products, giving a market place feel. The wooden furnishings and M&S heritage green signage was the influence for the range.
His vision was to create a look which epitomised the wisdom and knowledge of the traditional greengrocer. Whilst the design still includes a white shirt it was much more relaxed with rolled sleeves and a chino trouser.
The addition of aprons and trilby hat not only act as protective wear, but compliment the overall look.
The range was designed and delivered within a very tight plan of 6 months from design to store and has now been rolled out to over 600 stores and approx. 40,000 colleagues
Get in touchICW always have the M&S colleagues at heart when bringing new innovations to the table.
Susannah Gardiner Uniform Contract Manager Marks & Spencer
The Clothing & Homeware Range
A modern brand takes on a new, modern look.
The C&H range was designed in a non-conventional way for us. The M&S retail team wanted their colleagues to be able to showcase the staple pieces that are sold in their menswear and womenswear departments.
The team identified key retail pieces forming a capsule wardrobe and we were tasked with recreating this into a durable uniform that is both versatile and functional to meet the pressures of tough retail environments.
The capsule wardrobe is stylish and optimistic in colour, making it possible for the customer to immediately recognise colleagues in-store. Pieces like the M&S crew neck t-shirts and their popular denim were teamed with some on-trend pieces like the sweatshirt, to give that more casual and friendly feel.
This range launched in April 2023, and now over 15,000 colleagues are showcasing this new, fresh, and exciting range for us and M&S. The key in both of these ranges was that we wanted colleagues to feel proud when wearing the uniform, hope the uniform will instil confidence and make them feel that M&S truly presents a modern brand for them and our customers.
The Numbers
Feedback
Making employees voices heard to improve the range.
Feedback from colleagues is essential to ensure that our uniform remains suitable for the roles within stores. We continually gather suggestions and feedback through internal media platforms, store visits and our customer service team.
We have recently launched several new concepts from this:
- Black denim introduced on food hall – due to the huge success of the C&H denim, it seemed a smooth transition to include these onto the food halls to compliment the green and brown chinos
- Menopause friendly collection – we have worked closely with the I&D and menopause network within M&S to ensure our ranges include garments that support people experiencing symptoms of menopause, or just want a looser style of garment. We have introduced lightweight drawstring trousers, loose jersey tops and a jersey drawcord dress
- Shorts have been offered in navy and brown chino fabric to support colleagues in the warmer months
