Marks and Spencer Group Plc : M&S CONTINUES ITS QUALITY & STYLE REAPPRAISAL WITH REFRESHED IN STORE LOOK FOR WOMENSWEAR & FASHION CAMP TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES

As part of its ongoing womenswear reappraisal, Marks & Spencer has today unveiled new womenswear departments in its stores and announced that all 10,000 of its womenswear employees have completed its Fashion Camp training.

Designed to showcase the latest Autumn/Winter collections, the new look and feel for M&S womenswear will offer customers improved navigation and more inspiration leading to an enhanced shopping experience.

To support the in store changes and help deliver M&S's refocus on quality and style, all 10,000 womenswear employees have completed in depth Fashion Camp training to equip them with the skills to deliver world class customer service.

Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, Executive Director of Marketing and Business Development at M&S, said "This is a very exciting time for M&S womenswear. We have invested in the quality and style of our products; we have reinvigorated our marketing strategy with the launch of our Britain's Leading Ladies campaign and we have refreshed our womenswear environment.

"We hope that the in store changes that we are showcasing today, coupled with our newly trained 10,000 Fashion Camp graduates, will help us deliver exactly what our customers want and expect from M&S - high quality, stylish  products and world class customer service."

The changes in store include:

• High impact  'Welcome Zones' highlighting the latest trends and most popular lines for customers as soon as they enter the store;
• A new look for destination departments such as Coat Shop, Dress Shop and Knitwear;
• Improved in store navigation with more visual displays at the front of each department;
• More outfit suggestions displayed throughout the store to inspire and delight customers.

Additionally, a new Footwear and Accessories department that is a mix of employee-serviced and self-service has launched in three stores (Oxford Street Pantheon, London Colney and Bluewater) as a trial format. The departments have been completely transformed with new fixtures, fittings and visual merchandise and also feature an 'Inspiration Station'. Powered by RFID technology, this new multi-channel unit tells the story behind the shoes on a 32" digital screen and advises which accessories match that particular shoe every time a customer places a product on the sample shelf.  

All of this is supported by strong, confident in store and external marketing images that include:

• Leading Ladies - including Multiple Award-Winning Actress Helen Mirren, Brit Award winning Singer/Songwriter Ellie Golding and award winning author Monica Ali - visual displays in all M&S windows and digital screens showcasing a new confident tone of voice of the autumn/winter range;
• New brand decor for womenswear sub-brands, shot and styled by leading fashion photographers.

The second phase of the M&S Autumn/Winter collection has arrived in store and online. Season's highlights include:

For further information and images please contact:
M&S Corporate Press Office 0208 7188132