Marks & Spencer

Dubai Mall Marks & Spencer store reopens with huge new food hall and cafe - in pictures

Dubai’s flagship Marks & Spencer store, in The Dubai Mall, has reopened with a brand-new look. The 3,066 square-metre store has had a contemporary makeover, with new interiors designed to optimise the customer experience. Fans of M&S’s food hall will be pleased to hear that the revamped store now has the addition of its full chilled food range, stocking more than 2,000 more grocery goods including meat, cheese and salad in the enhanced space. M&S’s freezer range is also now available at The Dubai Mall store, alongside classic cupboard staples and British favourites. Shoppers looking to incorporate more plant-based foods into their diets will also be able to shop the Plant Kitchen range, which features dishes such as sweet-potato falafel and cashew nut and cannellini dip. As well as a much larger food hall, the store features a new Marks & Spencer Cafe, offering customers both a dine-in and pick-up service. The cafe will serve classic British afternoon tea, plus a selection of cakes and baked goods, and heartier dishes including fish and chips. Food aside, the new store offers Marks & Spencer’s clothing and accessories for men, women and children, as well as homeware. “We are pleased to welcome shoppers to our new boutique concept store, where we have introduced fresh food to the store for the very first time. The store will also offer a wide range of popular clothing collections for the whole family,” says Nick Batey, general manager of Marks & Spencer Mena. “We’ve been working hard to offer customers new, convenient ways to shop with Marks & Spencer, including the M&S Food app, e-catalogue service and partnerships with elGrocer, Deliveroo and, of course, on our website. It’s important that customers are able to shop our products in the way that is most convenient to them.” In line with government guidelines, all necessary health and safety measures are in place, including regular and ongoing deep cleaning, the provision of sanitiser and gloves to all customers, social distancing measures and twice-daily body and temperature checks for staff.

Dubai · United Arab Emirates · 21 Jun 2020

Fawaz Alhokair's M&S deal in Saudi ends, still partners elsewhere

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair 4240.SE said on Wednesday its franchise agreement in the kingdom with British retailer Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) had ended, along with similar deals with a number of “non-performing” brands. Marks & Spencer (M&S) said in an email that its franchised stores in Saudi Arabia were transferred to Al-Futtaim Group in 2018. M&S has 15 franchised stores in Saudi Arabia. “We are focused on continuing to work with Al-Futtaim Group to develop and grow our business in Saudi Arabia,” M&S told Reuters. M&S still has a partnership with Alhokair in Armenia, Georgia and Kazakhstan, according to M&S’s website. M&S has more than 400 stores outside the United Kingdom, where it is a mainstay of shopping streets with more than 1,000 outlets. Its international business has been struggling, however, with revenues falling 14% and underlying operating profit down 6% in the year ended March 30, 2019. Alhokair also said on Wednesday it made a first-quarter net profit of 224 million riyals ($60 million), down 10.1% from the same period a year earlier. The firm, which owns franchise rights for brands including Mango, Zara and Banana Republic in the Middle East, said a decline in sales during the quarter was driven by the closure of non-performing stores and the disposal of weak brands as the group presses ahead with a “portfolio optimization strategy.”

Saudi Arabia · 20 Aug 2019

UAE's Al-Futtaim said to be in talks to buy M&S business in Hong Kong, Macau

UAE-based conglomerate Al-Futtaim is reportedly in talks with UK retail giant Marks & Spencer for the possible purchase and franchising of its business in Hong Kong and Macau. The UK's Financial Times said the talks could see Al-Futtaim become the sole franchisee for M&S in Hong Kong and Macau, adding that M&S has operated in Hong Kong since 1988 and has 27 stores in the city. Al-Futtaim has worked with M&S since it opened the British retailer’s first store in Dubai in 1998. The deal covers only the company’s retail business and its Hong Kong sourcing operations will remain wholly-owned, the FT added.

United Kingdom · 29 Aug 2017

New Store Opening

تم افتتاح ماركس و سبنسر ، اشهر سلسلة لمتاجر التجزئة في بريطانيا في فيرست افنيو. Marks & Spencer now open at 1st Avenue.

Kuwait · 30 Mar 2014

Marks & Spencer opens third branch in Kuwait

KUWAIT: The third branch of Marks & Spencer in Kuwait was inaugurated yesterday at The Avenues. The new store is 12,594 square meters in size and located at the ground floor (First Phase) of The Avenues. Kuwaitis and expatriates alike looking for a quality international retail experience will enjoy the brand’s inviting and inspiring store design offering a wide range of stylish and innovative products in exceptional quality and at great prices. Speaking with the Kuwait Times, Mark Senior - Operations Manager said the new branch will offer just exactly the same with the twist of more selections at the biggest mall in Kuwait. “The Avenues is the most attractive mall in Kuwait so far and to be in this place is simply invigorating. We’ve been checking and coming here for years now and trying our best to secure a suitable place for us. When we heard they have this space, we were thrilled and very happy about it. So here we are! Starting today, we are going to serve our valued customers here,” Senior noted. Senior added Marks & Spencer in Kuwait has been the second strongest market in the Middle East next to the United Arab Emirates. “Business in Kuwait has been very good. Kuwaitis are our strongest market; in fact, the Kuwaiti market is our second largest in the Middle East. We have witnessed growth over the last few years and we are happy to be in this part of the globe,” he mentioned. According to Senior, Marks & Spencer is a famous and well-established brand in Kuwait. “We’ve been here since 1998 and most of our customers have been very familiar with Mark and Spencer. We have the brand in the UK and people who are coming from this part of the world are very happy to see us here. We have a line of products which are lined up in the upper class quality and customers love our brand. For example, our lingerie has been very famous amongst women and the same goes for men’s suits and formal shoes as well. We are very comfortable because we have a good place in the Kuwait market,” he reiterated. Stylish fashion Currently offering its spring collection in-store, women can celebrate the season in style with Marks & Spencer’s sub brands - M&S Collection personifies elegance in timeless hues, Autograph range embodies luxury and sophistication, ‘per una’ collection reflects feminism and vibrancy while the Indigo collection encapsulates the casual cool look. The gorgeous M&S lingerie section displays beautiful basics, indulgent matching sets and pretty shapewear - perfect for every occasion. The store’s clothing collection also features a host of clever product innovations including suits that are fully machine washable, Secret Support (TM) lingerie which creates flattering silhouette, Stormwear(tm) finish denim and coats, a revolutionary fabric treatment which repels water and Insolia (TM) technology in its footwear ranges which improves comfort and stability in flat and high heeled shoes. In addition, apart from the wide range of women clothing, M&S also offers accessories and footwear for a complete stylish look. The new store is a one-stop destination for those seeking timeless fashion as well as a complete range of beauty products to suit their beauty needs. Marks & Spencer’s standard setting ethics continue to inspire innovation and design whilst championing the heritage and core values of Marks & Spencer in perfectly edited collections. “Our brand for ladies ‘Indigo’ is a casual chic brand, Californian 1960’s is jeans and lots of denims. We have ‘Autograph’ brand to contrast ‘Indigo’. ‘Autograph’ is mostly party dresses and looks, formal wear, real nice colors and very bright. We have ‘per una’, a combination of formal and casual wear with amazing designs and the colors are excellent. We have ‘Classic, and its designed for more relaxed customers; the idea is to cater to classic fashion, some of them are longer sleeves, beautiful combinations as well,” Senior added. “This season’s various kinds of quality designs are to invade Kuwait for more fashionable but also elegant style and quality. Customers buy because it is quality and not just a mere trend,” Senior pointed out. Marks & Spencer constantly introduce new and interesting designs. “The reason why we transferred from our old place in Salmiya to a new location (also in Salmiya) was to live up to our promise of constant change. The place is wonderful,” he mentioned. Senior said, political turmoil is not an issue for their businesses elsewhere. “Political issues are no longer an issue for businesses like ours. I think, M&S is situated in a very stable region and economy is booming everywhere. I think the challenge we face is the growing number of competitors; they are coming in hordes. Market is huge but so is the rapidly growing competition,” he said. Following a traditional ribbon- cutting ceremony led by the Head of Operations, Mark Senior and Store Manager, Ibrahim Qarmeesh, the new Marks & Spencer store welcomed enthusiastic shoppers and media to experience pleasant interiors and extensive product offering. “The store opening is part of UK brand’s regional expansion drive and strategy to build a stronger presence in the Middle East region. The Avenues is Kuwait’s luxury shopping mall which houses strong international brands and attracts more than 20 million visitors every year. The popularity and prominence of this mall makes it an obvious choice of location for the latest Marks & Spencer store. We want to create remarkable international shopping experiences and with this opening we hope to attract an ever increasing number of customers, “Mark Senior added. The opening was attended by Al-Futtaim who said, “Kuwait is a growing market for Marks &Spencer and we have capitalized this huge retail opportunity by opening two big stores in Kuwait this year including the largest international store at The View in February. This significant investment reiterates our commitment to the country. The new store exhibits an excellent interplay of lovely interiors, attractive display windows and exceptional lighting scheme complemented by a convenient customer shopping experience. The collection displayed at the store offers confident style, innovation and outstanding quality designs at fantastic value while focusing on timeless fashion trends for women. By Ben Garcia

Kuwait · 30 Mar 2014

Marks & Spencer to open first stand-alone lingerie store in Saudi Arabia

The new 230 square meter store is located in the Khurais shopping mall in Riyadh and will operate under M&S franchise partner Al Hokair. Lingerie sales currently account for over a fifth of M&S sales at its 14 full collection stores in the country and have increased 17 percent over the past year. The lingerie and beauty store opens ahead of another M&S store opening in the Mall of Dhahran in Dammam on March 17. M&S plans to open 8 more standalone stores in Saudi Arabia over the next two years, as well as two department stores in Jeddah and Riyadh this summer as part of its expansion plan to become a 'leading international retailer'. M&S also plans on introducing its lingerie and beauty concept stores in India, where it operates through its franchise partner Reliance Retail, with the first 450 square meter store set to open in Mumbai end of spring.

Saudi Arabia · 11 Mar 2014

M&S opens largest international store in Kuwait

UK retail giant Marks & Spencer has announced the opening of its largest international store in Kuwait. The new 72,000 square foot flagship store is operated by Marks & Spencer’s long term franchise partner Al-Futtaim group, which now operates 26 M&S stores across eight territories in the region. Omar Al Futtaim, chairman of Al-Futtaim Group, joined Marc Bolland, Marks & Spencer chief executive, to officially open the shop at The View in Salmiya on Thursday. Bolland said: “We’re delighted to officially open our largest international store in Kuwait... The Middle East is a priority market for Marks & Spencer and through our successful partnership with Al-Futtaim we are continuing to build our presence here.” John Cooper, managing director of Marks & Spencer Al-Futtaim group MENA, added: “Through the introduction of Marks & Spencer’s largest store outside of the UK and Ireland, customers in Kuwait can now shop our most extensive fashion collections whilst also sampling the best of authentic English cuisine our M&S Café has to offer.” The store also includes a M&S Café with seating for 60 people, its second M&S Café in the region outside of the UAE.

Kuwait · 27 Feb 2014

UK giant M&S eyes more Middle East openings

British retail giant Marks & Spencer (M&S) said on Monday it plans to open a number of new stores across the Middle East over the next few years. The company confirmed its commitment to the region as it announced plans to enter the Jordanian market for the first time. M&S said in a statement that it will open a new store at TAJ Lifestyle in Amman next month. It did not give further details of its expansion plans in the region. The iconic British brand, which was established in 1884, already has a strong presence in the Middle East, which is one of its priority International markets, with 18 stores in the region through its partnership with franchisee Al-Futtaim Group. Jan Heere, Marks & Spencer's director of International, said: "We're delighted to be opening our first store in Jordan in December. "Our new store in Amman will be the first of many new M&S stores planned for the Middle East over the next few years and will feature our latest womenswear, lingerie and beauty products." M&S last year said it planned to speed up its international expansion in a bid to offset domestic competition with revenue from fast-growing emerging markets. Former chief executive Mark Bolland said in February 2011 that he planned to transform M&S “from a UK multi-channel retailer to an international multi-channel retailer” by 2015. M&S has more than 350 stores in 42 overseas territories. Earlier this month, the high street retailer said that UK like-for-like sales during the three months to the end of September were level with last year. The quarterly sales growth of the food division was 1.6 percent while sales in the general merchandise business dropped 1.8 percent. For the first half of the year as a whole, sales were down 1.4 percent because of a weak first quarter.

United Kingdom · 11 Nov 2012

مجموعة الفطيم تعزز تواجدها في الكويت بافتتاح فروع في مجمع «مول 360»

اعلنت شركة التمدين لمراكز التسوق عن استضافة «مول 360» احدى اكبر المجموعات التجارية على مستوى المنطقة، مجموعة الفطيم و التي تعزز انشطتها التجارية في الكويت من خلال مجموعة من العلامات التجارية المتميزة «ماركس وسبنسر»، و «انترسبورت» و «تويز ار اس»، وذلك عند افتتاح «مول 360» في الاول من يونيو المقبل. وتعكس هذه الخطوة التزام «ماركس وسبنسر» بتوسع انشطته في المنطقة التي تشمل تسعة فروع منتشرة في كل من دبي والشارقة وأبوظبي والبحرين والكويت وقطر ومسقط. وسيقام فرع «ماركس و سبنسر» في «مول 360» على مساحة 50 الف قدم مربع، ليقدم باقة متنوعة من الازياء النسائية والرجالية وملابس الاطفال، بالاضافة الى الادوات المنزلية. وقال نائب رئيس مجلس الادارة الرئيس التنفيذي لشركة التمدين لمراكز التسوق المهندس احمد الصرعاوي «يأتي تواجد مجموعة الفطيم من خلال مول 360 لكي يتماشى مع خطة التمدين لمراكز التسوق في تقديم ارقى العلامات التجارية العالمية لجميع زوار المول، لقد قمنا و بعناية دقيقة بانتقاء كل ما نقدمه لعملائنا الكرام لذا حرصنا على تواجد ماركس وسبنسر و إنترسبورت و تويز آر أس من مجموعة الفطيم، والتي تعد خير تطبيق للنهج الذي نسلكه». وقال مدير «ماركس و سبنسر الكويت - مجموعة الفطيم» بلال الزير «يأتي تواجدنا في مول 360 في اطار خطة توسع المجموعة و تعزيز انشطتها داخل الكويت. وقد تم اختيار مول 360 لما لدينا من يقين انه يطبق المعايير العالمية للمجمعات التجارية من خلال التصميم، المساحات، الجودة والأجواء العامة للتسوق، وهو ما طالما سعينا إلى تحقيقه كمجموعة الفطيم». وتقدم مجموعة الفطيم وللمرة الأولى في الكويت في «مول 360»، «انترسبورت» على مساحة 13 الف قدم مربع، حيث يقدم للمتسوق تشكيلة متنوعة من الادوات الرياضية باسلوب جديد، والتي تناسب كافة الاعمار. اما «تويز ار اس» في «مول 360» والذي تبلغ مساحته 19 الف قدم مربع ، فسوف تضم اكبرمجموعة من العاب الاطفال والتي سوف يتم عرضها باسلوب حديث ومتطور، بالاضافة الى الادوات والبرامج الالكترونية . وسوف يضم «مول 360» تحت سقفه مزيجا متناسقا من الماركات العالمية الشهيرة في مجال الازياء والموضة والموجودة لاول مرة في الكويت، بالاضافة الى التنوع المدروس في المطاعم المتخصصة والمقاهي. كما يضم «مول 360» الترفيه العائلي باسلوب حديث وغير مسبق والذي يلبي احتياجات جميع الاعمار، بالاضافة الى اكبر مجمع لدور العرض السينمائي في الكويت وشاشة عرض البعد الثالث IMAX ، و «جيان هايبر ماركت» لاول مرة في الكويت، بالإضافة الى الخدمات عالية المستوى واجواء خاصة للتسوق ذات طابع فريد ومتنوع ، ومواقف سيارات بمساحات كبيرة .

Kuwait · 18 Feb 2009