See Ch r isyt ou r c a rd mas ou r she on lv Turn t o pag e s to e 5 find o ut mo re
Let it snow! To celebrate the most magical time of the year, we transport five employees into scenes from our amazing Christmas TV ad
Meeting Marc
Your guide to gifting
Festive feasting
Three store employees interview CEO Marc Bolland
Everything you could possibly need this Christmas
From party food to the main event, puddings to mince pies
Keeping you in touch November / December 2013 01 Cover V3 M&S Iss40.indd 1
08/11/2013 21:59
Inside HOW WE’RE GIVING THIS CHRISTMAS
5 PENCE
from the sale of items in our Festive Food On The Move range is donated to Shelter
4 Close-up 4 We’re winning… An update on the improvements we’re making in Womenswear and how our stores are taking shape…
5 In Touch Customers say thank you
6 M&S.com update How you can help get our new website customer-ready
7 Three cheers Employees thank each other
Magazine heroes
We couldn’t n’t have created this his issue of YOUR M&S &S without these colleagues eagues
02-03 Contents V4 M&S Iss40.indd 2
8
Over the past eight years, we’ve raised more than £2m for Shelter’s Helpline
16,000
This Christmas, you can help support more than 16,000 homeless people by buying delicious products from our Festive Food On The Move range
2012
Last year, we raised £189,508 for charities from the sale of our Christmas cards, and £106,761 from Food On The Move
8 24 Features 8 The gift of giving We bring you our top picks for the festive season
24 Pride of M&S Plan A Awards We chat to the winners and share their stories
12 Food, glorious food Everything you need to make Christmas magical
29 Meet the Expert Customer Assistant Maggie Clarke visits Burton’s, M&S’s shortbread supplier
16 See them sparkle Five lucky employees are transported into scenes from our Christmas TV ad
30 Your letters Spotlighting your ideas, plus puzzles and prizes
21 Meeting Marc Three employees chat to CEO Marc Bolland
‘It was a huge privilege to help five M&S employees step inside the world of Christm mas mag ic and Christmas magic sparkle e with us. .’ us.’ HOLLY Y KICUL, BR BRAND RAND CAM MPAIGNS & EVENTS CAMPAIGNS MAR RKETEER MARKETEER
‘Helping out with the Plan A Awards this year and learning aboutt our incredible winne ers was a real winners ho onour.’ honour.’ CARL WELLER, UPHOLSTERY BUYER
‘With so many delicious new offerings this year, we’re we re very excited about our Christmas food, and know o fellow employee our employees will be too.’ ELIZABETH TREV TREVERSH, SENIOR PRESS OFFICER OF
08/11/2013 22:01
‘
Hello! Welcome...
OUR SHINING STARS We sprinkle a little bit of Christmas magic on some lucky employees
12 Go online now! Look out for the digital version of the YOUR M&S employee magazine. It has all of the fantastic stories from your regular magazine, plus some extra articles for you to read, enjoy and share with your colleagues. See Today@M&S for details
Lynne Skidmore, GM Commercial Manager, Dundee store: one of three employees who met CEO Marc Bolland
16
21
I’m sure you’ll all have seen our exciting Christmas TV campaign. In this issue, we magically transported five employees into scenes from the advert. See our special feature on how we did it on My Store Workspace or Today@M&S. We also bring you the very best in M&S gifts and food. We think you’ll agree, no one does Christmas quite like M&S. We also bring you a very special feature that sees three store employees interview CEO Marc Bolland. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas . See you in 2014!
CLARE GOULTY EDITOR, YOUR M&S
Contact
Picture credits
If you have an idea for a great news story, please ask your BIG rep to send it to us.
Cover photography: Dan Kennedy Hair and make-up: Roxanne New, Collette Ruddy Styling: Charlotte Ellis Retouching: Rupert King Other images: Ben Gold, Martin Hunter, Jamie Lau, Alex Ridley, Shutterstock
Clare Goulty, Editor – extn 183283 Email: Employee.comms@marks-andspencer.com Post: Employee Communications, Marks & Spencer, Waterside House, UG East, 35 North Wharf Road, London W2 1NW
This magazine is printed on 50% recycled paper. Please do the right thing by passing it on to someone else or recycling it after you have read it.
Story to te ll? Email Employee.Comm s@marks-and-spe nce r.com
02-03 Contents V3 M&S Iss40.indd 3
06/11/2013 23:52
Close-up BU S I N E S S
Dear colleagues...
We’re in a great position to give ourr customers a magical, sparkling M&S Christmas this year. While we’re still on our journey to transform M&S, I believe there are re three key reasons why this Christmas we have the perfect opportunity to go that extra mile. Firstly, our products have never been better. We have the best Food Halls in the UK, showcasing an irresistible range of products, unbeatable in terms of taste, quality and innovation. In GM, as you know, we’re putting M&S style and quality back on the map – supported by our Leading Ladies ad campaign – and the early signs are encouraging, with h positive feedback from you, our customers and the press. Secondly, our products have never looked better in our stores, and online, as we present them with greater clarity and authority. Our most recent improvements to our store environment in Womenswear will help our customers take a fresh look at our clothing and encourage them to shop across more of the store. Finally – and crucially – I believe we are serving our customers with greater enthusiasm and knowledge. We have magical products, and I know you’ll be adding the sparkle. So keep presenting our products with pride, sell them with confidence and encourage your customers to shop across more of your store or our entire product range, using the excellent multi-channel tools you have at your fingertips. Best wishes for the weeks ahead and, of course, a very happy Christmas.
Marc Bolland, CEO
FA S H IO N
Fresh look for womenswear As part of our programme to get Womenswear back on track, we recently turned our focus to changing how our gorgeous clothes are presented in our stores. Over the past few months, our store and office teams have worked hard to offer customers improved navigation and a more inspirational shopping experience. To support the changes and help live up to our promise of delivering style and quality to our customers, all of our 10,000 Womenswear employees have now completed the in-depth Fashion Camp training to equip them with the skills to deliver world-class customer service. In-store changes in all of our full line GM stores include: ● Welcome Zones that highlight the latest trends and most popular lines for customers as soon as they enter the store ● New-look destination departments for
coats, dresses and knitwear Improved in-store navigation with more visual displays at the front of each department ● More outfit suggestions displayed throughout the store to help customers build their wardrobes ● New brand decor for Womenswear sub-brands. ●
Additionally, a new Footwear and Accessories department has launched in three stores (Pantheon, London Colney and Bluewater) as a trial. The departments have each been completely transformed with new fixtures, fittings and visual merchandise and feature an Inspiration Station – on a 32in digital screen – that advises which accessories match that particular shoe every time a customer places a product on the sample shelf. November / December 2013
04-05 News V4 M&S Iss40.indd 4
08/11/2013 22:02
05 YOUR M&S
News SERV ICE
C O M P E T I T IO N
What a star
Every day, we receive emails and letters that demonstrate how M&S employees are In Touch with our customers. Here’s a selection of the stories we loved…
A customer recently contacted Cribbs Causeway to sing the praises of Sarah Coates (pictured left). The gentleman was blown away by the excellent service he received from Sarah who was calm and patient when helping to source an item, and then wrestling with a computer glitch. Well done, Sarah! Model behaviour Bournemouth store received a letter from a customer to tell them about the ‘absolutely amazing service’ that they received in the suits department. They said that, in particular, Maggie Toolan was polite, courteous
respectful, humorous and gave him lots of advice on tailoring. Talk about being In Touch! Handled with care David Harris from Stratford store recently went beyond the call of duty to help two customers in need when Mr Turner, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, went missing in store. David helped to calm Mrs Turner and notified the local bus service. Later, David spotted Mr Turner and rang his wife to inform her that her husband was safe. He then drove Mr Turner home at the end of his shift. Mrs. Turner will be forever in David’s debt.
See your Christmas card on our shelves! Are you an aspiring Christmas card designer? Want to see a card that you have designed stocked in M&S? We have a fantastic opportunity for M&S employees to design their own Christmas card, with the chance to see it on the shelves of M&S in time for the 2014 festive season. The winner will also be invited to visit the factory where our cards and wraps are made. Simply send us your design (feel free to send more than one if you like) by email or post by 31 January 2014, with up to 100 words telling us what inspired them. Judging will take place in February 2014 and the winner(s) will be announced in the May/June issue of YOUR M&S.
This competition is open only to employees of the Marks and Spencer Group of Companies who are permanent UK or ROI residents and are aged 18 or over only, employed by the company as of 31 January 2014. The competition will start on 20 November 2013. To enter, participants must send us their own original design for a Christmas card, and a short explanation of no more than 100 words explaining what inspired their design. Enter via e-mail to: Employee.Comms@ marks-and-spencer.com. Or by post to: Clare Goulty, Castlepoint store were the hard-working winners of May’s One Day Wardrobe Employee Communications, Marks & Spencer, Waterside Clearout, and in September they received their exciting prize –a visit from Plan A House, UG East, 35 North Wharf Road, London W2 1NW. If entering via e-mail, please ensure that your entry is submitted Ambassador Joanna Lumley. in both the original format that you used for your design as well as in PDF format. For postal entries please ensure that the In April, Joanna set stores the challenge of making this Shwopping event the print is high resolution and on a good quality paper or most successful yet. Castlepoint Shwopped the most items based on the number photographic paper. Closing date for entries is 31 January 2014. M&S will notify the winner by 31 March 2014 and of employees in the store – an incredible 3,902 garments – which raised more than include the details of the process that will follow to accept the £3,000 for Oxfam. full prize. There is no cash alternative. If M&S at any time considers an entry has been plagiarised or is inappropriate, or Joanna commented, ‘I’m absolutely that the entrant has otherwise failed to comply with these thrilled by the effort terms and conditions, it may disqualify the entry in its discretion. The winner may be required, subject to their that Castlepoint consent, to take part in reasonable post-competition publicity for M&S, which may include filming, went to and it photography or other recordings required by M&S or was a treat to other third parties for publicity purposes and the winner agrees to the use of their personal data for meet them such purposes. The entrant agrees the design and say jolly submitted is their own original work and is not copied in whole or in part from any other third well done!’ For all letters and party and assigns all copyright and intellectual property developed during this competition and competition entries, in performance of the contract, including the November / December 2013 please email us at submission of their design, exclusively to M&S, and the entrant shall enter into a contract with Employee.Comms@ M&S on agreed terms. Entries cannot be returned. marks-and-spencer.com For full T&Cs, please see Today@M&S or My Store Workspace.
CHARITY
Worthy winners
Our email address has changed!
04-05 News V4 M&S Iss40.indd 5
08/11/2013 22:02
Close-up
The world’s biggest thank you
FOOD
The final countdown
Customers have until 15 December to place their festive food orders, online at M&S.com or in store, from this year’s brochure. Using Order online the M&S app, customers can scan or in store pages in the brochure to reveal exciting content, which includes a video on how to select fizz for your festive party. We have developed a truly inspiring range with double the amount of newness as the previous year. Our Christmas Don’t forget and New Year The deadline for brochure is Christmas Food now in store to Order is and available 15 December on M&S.com.
DID YOU KNOW?
50%
More than half of all Christmas and New Year food orders are placed online.
1/3
This Christmas, a third of our party food is gluten-free, the largest amount yet.
1 IN 4
We sell one in every four turkeys bought in the UK over the Christmas period.
1/3 Our top 12 poultry lines account for a third of all our Christmas Food To Order sales
CHARITY
The gift of giving For the seventh year in a row, we will be working with Imperial College Healthcare Charity and the local corporate community programme, Time for Paddington, to bring some Christmas cheer to young and elderly patients at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington this December. You can play your part by donating a spare present, and the team will even wrap it for you, so it couldn’t be easier. For more details, email reception@ This year’s Festive Food on the Move is marks-and-spencer.com. packed with delicious products, from the
Season’s eatings
traditional Turkey Feast Sandwich (£3.25) to a Turkey Curry Wrap (£2.80). Sweet treats include Mini Luxury Mince Pies (£1), Spiced Plum and Vanilla Crumble (£1.50) and Maple Bacon Popcorn (70p). As always, sales of these products will help to raise funds for the housing and homelessness charity, Shelter.
Macmillan would like to thank everyone who helped out on 26 September. All efforts, big and small, were very much appreciated. Watch this space for more information on how much was raised. M & S .C O M
We need YOU! We’d like you to help us get the new M&S.com ready for customer switch-on next spring. As you’d expect with a beta test site – meaning that it is a work in progress – it still needs some polishing. So we want you to help us to get it to the point where it lives up to its flagship name – a site we can all be proud of. How? By giving us your feedback. We appreciate if you’re a store employee you might not get the opportunity to give us feedback pre-Christmas. You won’t be missing out – we will give you a chance in January to have your say. If you work in offices please take time to shop the site in the lead-up to Christmas and let us have feedback. Right now, our focus is very much on fixes: imagine you’re a customer, can you see things that don’t work properly or are wrong? There will also be times when the site is being updated or it’s not running smoothly – so please bear with us. You can access the site from the home page of Today@M&S M&S or on your store staff PCs. But ut please remember, we’re trusting you to keep detailss of the site confidential. It’s an exciting time, so don’t sit on the sidelines: delines: explore the site and nd tell us what you think. hink. Laura Wade-Gery, ery, Executive Director, r, Multi-channel E-commerce November / December 2013
06-07 News V3 M&S Iss40.indd 6
08/11/2013 22:03
07
YOUR M&S
News CH A R IT Y SNA PSHOT
What a team effort!
Central and North London region raised just under £6,000 for Macmillan by completing a Bridge to Bridge Walk on 22 September, covering a total distance of 16km along the Thames.
Trotting on
Congratulations to the 40-strong team of M&S runners who took part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon in October. The team – affectionately known as Percy’s Trotters – raised more than £15,000 for Macmillan.
Three cheers
S E RV IC E
Your opportunity to thank your colleagues for their support, dedication, efficiency and humour – or simply for being themselves
Charlotte Young (top right)) was a Customer Assistant on Foodss and applied for the role of Section Coordinator. She passed her assessment but sadly the role went to someone else. But this did not deter her; she worked on her development with herr line manager and applied forr a role at a new M&S store in France. rance. We are delighted she got the job and started her training in September. Nominated by REBECCA MENNIE, Commercial Manager, Kenton Bar store Coach Sarah Plested is the backbone of our Foods department. She works incredibly hard to make sure that our stock position is
I N T E R N AT IO N A L
accurate,, has excellent product knowledge and is a shining know example when it comes to exa sharing that knowledge. sh Nominated by N HOUNSLOW OUTLET H BIG B Since Sin becoming a first aider in the store Debbie Courts, (below (b l left), lleff has also taken up the role of o a first aid responder in her he local community. This has h fuelled her desire to become a paramedic and b she s is studying at college in order to achieve her dream. o We W know Debbie will succeed simply because of her suc ‘can do’ ‘ccan d o attitude and desire to help people. Nominated by DONCASTER OUTLET BIG
I N T E R N AT IO N A L
Global star
Lovely to see EU Our European Works Council took place again this September. The two-day event saw 15 elected employee representatives – pictured above – from all the EU countries where we operate, visiting our Paddington office for meetings and workshops.
06-07 News V3 M&S Iss40.indd 7
Sayak Arora (centre), Store Manager at Ambience Mall in Gurgaon, Delhi, was awarded the title of International Store Manager of the Year back in April. In October, he came to the UK to collect his award and spend a week working in our Paddington office. Here he is with Managing Director India, Venu Nair (left) and Head of Retail, India, James Munson (right). Well done Sayak!
08/11/2013 22:04
Close-up CHARITY
Thanks a Mac-million!
SOME MACMILLAN STATS
2M
Two million people are living with or beyond cancer in the UK – by 2030 this will be four million – putting an even greater demand on Macmillan services
115,000
Last year 115,000 people signed up to host a Coffee Morning for Macmillan, raising a recordbreaking £15 million
Bluewater Employees from
store employees
Canary Wharf
with the Mayor of
store
Dartford
The Macmillan team would like to thank you for your amazing support. It has helped Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning to raise more than £1.7 million since the partnership with M&S began in 2010. This year, your fundraising achievements, along with all the money raised from the ‘Little Book of Treats’, hummingbird pin badges and our selection of M&S food sandwiches and cakes, have helped to make the 23rd year of the event our biggest and best yet.
The money you raised will help fund local Macmillan Support Services across the UK – services that provide much-needed practical, emotional and financial support, so no one has to face cancer alone. From bake offs to sponsored silences, head shaves, customer collections and cake tasting, M&S Café employees and employees from across the business have worked together to raise an incredible £340,000. From everyone at Macmillan, we think you are amazing. Thank you.
88M
Since Coffee Morning began, £88 million has been raised in total for Macmillan Cancer Support
57 SECS
In September this year, we averaged a Coffee Morning registration every 57 seconds
FOOD
Gluten-free goodies
100 Marks&Start Logistics, our partnership with Remploy at Castle Donington DC, is celebrating hiring its 100th person
To make sure nobody is left out this Christmas we have some delicious gluten-free offerings, including this stunning Gluten Free Christmas Cake (£11.00), a Gluten Free Christmas Pudding (£2.00, 100g) and Gluten Free Mince Pies (£2.49, 175g). We have also launched nine new products to our existing ‘Made Without Wheat’ range, including Triple Chocolate Cookies, Lemon Shortbread, Chocolate Loaf, Mini Cheese Crackers and two tasty new breads. All the products have been specifically developed for coeliacs and are 100% gluten free.
November / December 2013
10,000 M&S supply chain workers in India are now trained in financial literacy with social enterprise Geosansar
Ladybird Onesie, T86/4129, From £16.00
PL AN A
SUPPORT IN ACTION Some of the brilliant ways that you raised money for Macmillan
Tiger Onesie, T86/5985,
Hair raising stuff
From £20.00
FA S H IO N
In the jungle
Zebra Onesie, T86/2845, From £18.00
shaving her head. Her act alone contributed a huge amount (20%) of the store’s total raised – which was just under £1,000.
Silence is golden HOSPITALITY Specialist Karon Robertson
entered into an all-day sponsored silence for Coffee Morning, raising £338 in total.
Keep your little ones warm this winter in these cosy onesies... FOOD
CATHERINE DALE FROM KENTON BAR STORE raised more than £200 on the day by
All hands on deck
Our own wee dram
OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM got in on the act, with
Steve Rowe, Executive Director for Food, using his volunteering day to visit King’s College Hospital in London. Alongside Macmillan volunteers, he helped to create a much-needed new ‘Safe Space’ in the outpatient department for people affected by cancer and their families.
We are excited to announce that we have launched our very first own-brand whisky. Our Fine Single Malt English Whisky, made for us by the English Whisky Company at the St George’s Distillery in Norfolk, arrived in stores in early November and is described as light and gentle with a hint of smoke. PL AN A
Treemendous help Our latest partnership with charity Cool Earth will help to protect 5,000 acres of rainforest in Peru and keep one million trees standing. By empowering indigenous communities through funding, and training them to adopt financially and environmentally sustainable land-use policies, the three-year partnership will support Cool Earth’s Ashaninka project in Peru, where much forest has already been lost to soya and cattle agriculture. November / December 2013
Going underground TRISTAN CUTHBERT,
IT Business Analyst, has been giving up his spare time this year to fundraise for Macmillan. Tristan and his partner, Cat, have been walking the entire length of the London Underground above ground. This involves 11 tube lines, 269 stops, 400 miles of walking and 800,000 steps!
Gorgeous gifting We bring you some of our top picks to put under your tree this Christmas
Emma Bridgewater Black Iris Bath Elixir, T23/9734G, £20
Downton Abbey Nail Varnish, T20/9260F, Collection, £8.50
Beauty
Downton Abbey Cosmetic Bag, T20/9260G, £12.50 Blusher, T22/1634,
T22/2187B, Set, £4
£5
REN Radiance Gift Pack, T23/4519G,
Ed it
k c i p or’s
Limited Tweezers,
£30
Alice + Eliza Powdered Violet Hand Cream, Black Amber Eau de Parfum – Gold
T20/7020G, £4
‘I’m really excited about our new brands, like the Emma Bridgewater and Downton Abbey ranges. The Downton products have a lovely vintage look to them. I can’t wait to get my hands on the nail varnish set and the cosmetic bag – the colours are gorgeous. ’ SUE TIGHE, BEAUTY MARKETEER
Edition,T22/1746, 40ml, £16
NEW 08-11 Gifting V4 M&S Iss40.indd 8
Better head shot
11/11/2013 15:31
09 YOUR M&S
Christmas gifts
T62/6514J, £89
Watch,
ck i p s or’
T06/4053T, £35
Ed it
Women
Faux Fur Shrug,
Box Clutch Bag, T83/0643C, £29.50 Ring, T06/0781A, £25
Cashmere onesie, T38/3009,
Earrings,
£199
T06/0171D, £15
Pyjamas T37/3895, £25 Bobble Hat, T01/4360, £9.50
‘This cute bobble hat (left) will be at the top of my Christmas wish list this year. It’s practicall for chilly winter days e but very on trend, too. We expect to sell 80,000 of these this winter!’
Dressing gown, T37/2900, £39.50
DELLA MOORHOUSE, WOMENSWEAR BRAND MARKETEER
November / December 2013
NEW 08-11 Gifting V4 M&S Iss40.indd 9
11/11/2013 15:32
Ed it
k c i p or’s
Gloves, T09/2244, £29.50
Marcel Wanders Jumper,
Cufflinks,
T30/2126B,
T40/2138G,
£49.50
£19.50
Men
Sponge, T20/8954E, £4
Harris Tweed iPad Envelope, T09/0242, Watch,
£29.50
T09/2125C, £25
Harris Tweed Phone Slip, T09/0244, £19.50
Globe, T40/8053G, £35
Wash Bag, T09/0261, £39.50
‘I’ll be buying ing cosy knits from Blue Harbour nd some of (top left) and ous Harris our gorgeous ducts for Tweed products my loved ones mas.’ this Christmas.’ LAURA JOHNSON, SON, MENSWEAR MARKETING
November Nov No N ovve o emb em mb mbe err / D December ec ece e c ce ember 2013
08-11 Gifting V4 M&S Iss40.indd 10
08/11/2013 22:08
11
Phoebe Fairy Lip
YOUR M&S
Gloss Palette
Christmas gifts
T20/8900B, £5
Percy Pig Magic & Sparkle Piggy Bank, 00947169 £12
Kids Magical Christmas Stories Book, T79/6858, £8.50
Monsters University Dragon Onesie,
Monster Bathing
T86/3657,
Collection, T20/8935M,
From £17
£39.50
Dress, T74/4203S, From £16
Hat, T72/1529U, £9 (with mittens) Bengal Toy Tiger, T79/8142,
k c i p or’s
Ed it
£5
Blazer, T88/4438X, From £38 (with shirt)
Onesies are still very y on-trend this year, we’ll sell 600,000 this winter across kids, womens and menswear.. We have te stlyes for some super cute sonally I little ones; personally n one love this dragon (above left). MARIA KING AGER, MARKETING MANAGER, KIDSWEAR
Emily Button Writing Set, T79/9469Z £8
November / December 2013
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08/11/2013 22:09
Festive feasting This year, M&S is putting the magic and sparkle firmly back into Christmas. We bring you some of the festive showstoppers that you might have already seen in our mouth-watering TV ads
‘There’s something very special about our Christmas partyy ar food. Even familiar ini nibbles like our mini n hot dogs are given a delicious lift’ BARBARA ROSS, PRODUCT DEVELOPER
P arty Food
Mini Battered Scallops with Pea Purée, £7 for 12 These scallop shells, filled with a battered mini scallop and a minted pea purée, taste as good as they look.
Mini Posh Hot Dogs, £7 for 10
Open Filo Tartlet Selection, £8 for 12
Miniature versions of our posh hot dogs – with succulent British outdoor-bred pork sausages with buns, tomato ketchup and mustard sauce – tap into the current American food trend.
Choose from either pea, mint and feta, or purple beetroot and goat’s cheese tartlets. Perfect for brightening up any spread.
November er / December 2013
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06/11/2013 20:49
13
YOUR M&S
Christmas food
Whisky Gold Scott Scottish tish Smoked Salmon (200g), £8
Th e main ev en t
MEET THE STARS
SWEET DREAMS
SHOW-STOPPING CENTREPIECES OF THE SEASON
CAKE, PUDDING AND CHOCOLATE EXTRAVAGANZA
CHRISTMAS WRAPPED UP
THE BEST FESTIVE DRINKS
GOURMET GIFTS FOR FOOD LOVERS
THIS YEAR’S ON-TREND TIPPLES
Christmas
FOOD
YOUR FREE GUIDE TO PLANNING THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS
Make Christmas delicious delicio delici ous o us Amazing food and flavour sensations for all your festive celebrations
The Ultimate Enchanted Forest Cake, £20 (1.56kg). Also available through the Christmas Food to Order service.†
PART ONE STOCK UP ON MAGICAL SWEET TREATS, IRRESISTIBLE GOURMET GIFTS AND MORE…
Look out for the three special Christmas Food newspapers that will be available in stores on 14 and 28 November and 12 December. Issue one (above) will showcase the very best of our ambient selection, issue two on party food and issue three on the main event. These papers will help you and our customers plan ahead for the festive season and ensure that M&S is the top destination for Christmas food this year.
Our gold shimmer Lochmuir salmon (above) – smoked over wood from oak whisky barrels, then steeped in a 12-year-old single malt Scotch whisky – is finished with a gold shimmer for a truly festive effect.
Winter Fruit Stuffed Turkey Crown (2.05 kg), £35 Delicious bone-in turkey crown with a moist, flavoursome pork and winter fruit stuffing, wrapped in applewood and chestnut smoked bacon and topped with a spiced butter. Serves 8-10.
Heritage Vegetables (700g), £3.49 This vibrant collection of vegetables (right) is the perfect accompaniment to any Christmas Day meal, featuring golden beets, candy stripe beets, sweet purple carrots, Chantenay carrots and red onion drizzled with a balsamic vinegar and honey glaze.
‘These colourful veg have never been seen in a retail pack format before and are usually only found in small,, taurants.’ local restaurants.’ TRACEY KNOTT, NOTT, ENT MANAGER, DEVELOPMENT R SUPPLIER BAKKAVOR
November / D December ece ec e c mbe er 2013 201 013 0 1 13
12-15 Food V4 M&S Iss40.indd 13
08/11/2013 22:10
P udd ings! Sugar Plum Pudding (907g), £14
Passion fruit mousse, (730g), £13
Featuring our festive signature flavour, this pudding is rich and fruity with a hidden centre of mulled plum sauce and Armagnac-soaked plums.
A refreshing passion fruit mousse, layered with vanilla sponge and a raspberry compôte centre. Comes with raspberry coulis and caramelised orange zest.
Ca kes
‘We have an outstanding Food offering this Christmas; I’m most looking forward to this indulgent Chocolate Bûche de Noël.’ STEVE ROWE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FOOD
Choco Chocolate Bûche de No Noël (654g), £10
Enchanted Forest Cake (1.56kg), £20
Christmas Colin (656g), £7
Chocola sponge soaked in Chocolate chocolat chocolate liqueur syrup and filled with cho chocolate chip ganache; an elegant ttwist on the traditional yule log.
This cake has been matured to perfection, fed twice with Cognac and covered in marzipan and soft icing, then hand finished with soft and royal icing decorations.
Our very own Colin the Caterpillar has been reinvented as a tempting chocolate Christmas cake for the very first time.
November / December 2013
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06/11/2013 20:56
Drinks Espresso Martini (50cl), £11.99
Sugar Plum Liqueur (35cl ), £9.99
Glitter Juice Drink (1 litre), £1.99
An indulgent blend of vodka, crème de café and crème de cacao. Perfect for a dinner party or as an alternative to dessert.
Featuring our signature flavour, this is an elegant plum liqueur, lightly spiced with cinnamon and cloves to get you in the festive mood.
A pomegranate and apple juice drink with glitter shimmer – a juice with the wow factor, or an easy way to jazz up cocktails.
Afte r dinner Cheese Platter: Three-year-old Cornish Cruncher Vintage Cheddar, £5 for 300g; Blacksticks Blue £2.68 for 300g; French Petit Brie 500g for £4; Chabichou £3 for 150g.
The Amazing Collection of Fabulous Personalities (220g), £15 A collection of hand-decorated chocolates made using the finest ingredients. Choose from six flavours that include smoked Maldon salt, caramel coulis or Valencia orange.
Ultimate Mini Mince Pie Selection (344g), £2.99 Four mini ultimate mince pies, four mini chocolate brownie mince pies and four mini brandy buttercream mince pies, all decorated with edible stars.
November / December 2013
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06/11/2013 20:57
See them
sparkle k !
With a dash of magic and a touch of sparkle, we transported five lucky M&S employees into a selection of scenes from our Christmas TV advert In the previous issue of YOUR M&S, we asked you to write in and tell us about your outstanding achievements, or nominate one of your colleagues, so that we could hand-pick our very own leading ladies to take part in our Christmas cover shoot. Read on to find out why these wonderful employees were selected, what they thought of the gorgeous clothes that they are modelling and what it was like for them to work on such an impressive project.
Re d R a November / December 2013
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11/11/2013 15:35
17 YOUR M&S
Christmas
Jane Lewin, Section Manager, Eden High Wycombe store
oo d H g n i d Ri d at s e v i .. rr . e a s ou h a’s m d n a r G November / December 2013
16-20 Christmas Ad V4 M&S Iss40.indd 17
‘I started at M&S as a customer assistant when I was at school, and in my 26 years here I’ve worked in dozens of different roles in store – I’ve worked in pretty much every department apart from Womenswear – as well as roles in our Paddington office. ‘Before having my three children I was a full-time commercial manager, but took the decision to move to a part-time section manager role closer to home to allow greater flexibility. ‘Recently, I’ve been working very hard on YPP (Your People Planning) and building staffing models, working across the region and helping out other stores in my own time as well. It’s meant long hours and occasionally working through the night, but I enjoy it. I think it’s fair to say that I have a real determination to deliver. What I love about working at M&S are the diverse roles that are available, even in one store. It’s such a fast-paced environment, because as a company we’ve always moved with the times. ‘I was nervous and excited about the photoshoot today, but it’s been really fun, especially meeting so many different people from across the business and hearing their stories. I love this stunning Autograph red coat, too.’ Coat, T50/1184, £139 Boots, T02/5314W, £99
08/11/2013 22:26
Hannah Parsons, VM, Richmond store
r ou y e k a T t he t a s t se a e r’s tt a H Ma d t y... r a p a te
‘It’s felt like a dream come true to take part in this magical photoshoot. I’ll definitely be treating myself to this gorgeous outfit when it arrives in stores. ‘I’ve been an in-store first aider for two years now, and earlier this year I received a call telling me that an elderly gentleman had fallen in the stairwell. He was conscious when I arrived on the scene but was very disorientated. He had hit his head when he fell and consequently there was a lot of blood. I had a colleague with me who compressed the wound while I called for an ambulance. ‘When I was on the phone, he lost consciousness and was struggling to breathe, so the operator told me to begin CPR. I started chest compressions and was still carrying them out when the paramedics arrived and gave him gas and air. ‘He was taken to hospital, where the doctors discovered that he had suffered a minor heart attack and needed a pacemaker to correct an irregular heartbeat. The paramedics told me that had I not carried out CPR, he almost certainly wouldn’t have been alive when they arrived. ‘His daughter discovered that he had been in an M&S store when it happened and called round to find out who had helped him and let me know about his recovery. Later, both he and his wife came in to thank me for what I did, and brought me flowers and chocolates.’
Wiount fi t
Th is
31 Turn to page re o m t u to find o
Dress, T42/3077, £49.50; Bag T83/6782L, £29.50; Bracelet, T06/0483D, £9.50
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November / December 2013
11/11/2013 18:05
‘My role at M&S is in the GM marketing team, so I regularly work on our exciting campaigns, but this is the first time I have featured in one myself! It was a real pleasure and a privilege to be part of this shoot with M&S’s very own leading ladies’ STEFAN, GM MARKETING PROJECTS & PLANNING
November / December 2013
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Hat, T09/4481, £35; Jacket, T19/4814A, £99; Shirt, T11/7455D, £39.50; Dress scarf, T09/9625, £15; Pocket square, T09/9624, £9.50
11/11/2013 15:36
ow l e y h Fl ow t ro d... bri c k Julia Murray, Customer Assistant, Prestatyn store (far left)
Alexandra Florea, Plan A Delivery Manager, Paddington ofce (far right)
‘I moved from my home country of Romania to work for ‘I’ve worked for M&S for 25 years , so I’ve seen the business M&S. When I was researching the company for my go through a lot of changes, including my store. The high interview, the more I learnt about Plan A, the more I street store I’d worked in since 1988 shut in March this year y wanted to work for M&S. So when Joanna Lumley posed and we moved to a retail park. It was a big change hange but an her BIG Idea question in February this year, asking what exciting one, and we had a huge amount of support fr from rom wee could do to improve Plan A, I decided to submit an senior management and Paddington ofce. answer. I was so shocked when I found out a few ‘They really do look after you at M&S. months lat later that I had won. My managers and fellow employees couldn’t dn’t ‘I was invited to a conference for M&S store have been more supportive when my managers and leaders where I met Adam manag husband passed away. Nearly the whole Elman, Head of Plan A Delivery. I told him Elma store attended his funeral, which was how passionate I am about Plan A and not very touching. It’s like one big family; in n Look out for a beh long after I got a phone call about an lon fact both my children have worked for in the-scen es feature dopportunity for a secondment to the Plan A op M&S at some point – Kerry in GM and d in the digita lv team. The rest, as they say, is history. te Liam in Food. YOUR M ersion of &S on M I think that my story goes to show that ‘The shoot today has been such fun, un, I y Store Wo rkspace o with wi the right amount of determination and can already tell it’s going to look magical. agical. r Today@M &S hard har work, anything is possible at M&S.’ I’d never normally wear such a glamorous morous
Se h ow we d i d i !
outfit like this but I love it!’ Julia: Jumper, T50/1611, £49.50; Bag T83/6799L, £39.50; Snood, T01/7502, £25; Trousers, T50/1150, £99; Boots, T02/0916A, £35. Hannah: Dress, T69/8102l, £59; Shoes, T02/2491A, £59. Stefan: Jacket, T19/5247, £119, Waistcoat, T19/5247W, £49; Shirt, T25/9422B, £35.00; Trousers, T17/7113B, £37.50; Shoes, T03/6771, £69. Alexandra: Jumper, T38/7106, £35; Short necklace, T06/6083C, £15; Long necklace, T06/6832C, £19.50; Jeans, T62/5735I, £35; Boots, T02/0919, £39.50
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08/11/2013 22:42
21 YOUR M&S
Marc Bolland
GETTING TO KNOW MARC Three store employees – Jenny Sadowski, James Williams and Lynne Skidmore – chat to Chief Executive Marc Bolland and ask him some insightful questions
Jenny: What are you most proud of during your time at M&S? I am most proud of the mind-set and spirit of our people, and the passion that they have to drive the business forward. Everyone has worked incredibly hard over the recent months with the Womenswear reappraisal, and it has been very rewarding to see our employees fully engaging with it. Over the past two and a half years, Food has taken very strong steps forward, while our clothing, as well as the way it is displayed, is moving in the right direction. James: Through Make Your Mark you have embarked on tackling one of today’s key social issues – youth unemployment. Why did you choose to prioritise this problem? In terms of sustainability, we have made a huge impression and have won many awards for our
November / December 2013
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Which Christmas food products will you be buying?
work. But about a year ago, I realised that we are in danger of creating a world where the grass is green and the air is fresh, but where there are no jobs for the next generation. So that’s why we started on this journey to address youth unemployment; we have a duty to help the next generation by adding another layer to Plan A, as well as the way we do business. I attended one of the celebrations in Croydon store at the end of the first round of the programme, and I have to say it was a very emotional experience. All of the participants were offered jobs at the store and not only did some of them cry, but their mentors cried too.
LYNNE SKIDMORE, GM COMMERCIAL MANAGER, DUNDEE STORE
Lynne: The Womenswear reappraisal has brought huge changes to M&S. What effect do you hope it will have on our customer profile? I am very happy with the customer base that we have – of all ages and from a broad range of social demographics. It’s important to remember that the reappraisal wasn’t about attracting a newer, younger customer. We have a 30% market share in lingerie, and what we want is for women who visit that department to walk through the store and suddenly see shoes in the new shoe department, products in the new beauty department, or a nice piece of knitwear in the new knitwear shop. Jenny: What are your thoughts on In Touch and its progress so far? I believe that In Touch is working very well and we have certainly seen increased engagement between our Paddington office and what is happening on the shop floors. Our Fashion Camp was a great example of this engagement and the results have been fantastic. In-store employees are now much more in touch with our products, and because of PACK they are more in touch with customers, too. But it’s more than that, it’s being in touch with the digital world and the fashion world; for the first time ever, we had our own catwalk show at London Fashion Week in September this year. That’s In Touch. James: At the beginning of your tenure you said that M&S needed ‘evolution not revolution’. Do you still feel that way or have you needed to initiate more revolution than you originally intended? For a company that has existed for nearly 130 years, it was important that the changes we made weren’t a strong shift of the dial; that they weren’t
JENNY SADOWSKI, FOODS COMMERCIAL MANAGER, TEMPLE FORTUNE STORE
What are you most proud of during your time at M&S? November / December 2013
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08/11/2013 22:53
WHAT I AM MOST PROUD OF IS THE MIND-SET AND SPIRIT OF OUR PEOPLE, AND THE PASSION THAT THEY HAVE TO DRIVE THE BUSINESS FORWARD. MARC BOLLAND, CHIEF EXECUTIVE
revolutionary. We wanted to make our changes in phases; rolling them out to some stores and then taking the time to evaluate and see what was and wasn’t working. This is how we learned about the changes that need to be made to our in-store environments, and that we needed stronger destinations, like evolving M&S Woman into M&S Collection. The changes that we have made may seem revolutionary, but evolution is at the heart of them. Lynne: How have you prepared M&S for the growth of multi-channel sales? Three years ago it was apparent that M&S needed a fundamental rethink and a shift in mind-set about Ecommerce. We recognised the need to put it at the heart of the business, instead of thinking of it as an add-on. One of the first decisions that I made was to move away from the Amazon platform that currently hosts our website, meaning that we can now be in charge of our own digital destiny. What’s brilliant is that stores have really got behind this transformation, too, by embracing the use of iPads as selling tools.
23 YOUR M&S
Marc Bolland Jenny: How do you believe the M&S brand is perceived internationally? M&S is perceived as upmarket and fashionable, and the core customer can be up to 10 years younger. So in order for us to grow and become a multi-channel international retailer, we must now ensure that we have the product to fulfil these needs. James: What is the best piece of career advice that you can offer? My best piece of advice is to stay close to your personality and personal values. My personal values are openness, passion and honesty, and these are very close to that of M&S. Lynne: M&S is renowned for its excellent festive food offer. Which Christmas food products will you be buying? The way you celebrate Christmas is one of my favourite things about the UK. I love the run-up and the preparations. Our food offer is spectacular this year. I tasted it with the team in summer, which I can tell you was not a bad summer’s day! I’m most looking forward to the desserts and cakes.
What is the best piece of career advice that you can offer?
JAMES WILLIAMS, STORE MANAGER, TELFORD STORE
September / October 2013
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06/11/2013 06:54
THE BEAUTIFUL BRITISH MILITARY WIVES PERFORMING ON THE EVENING
PRIDE OF M&S
PLAN A AWARDS 2013 This has been a fantastic year for Plan A, with a huge number of successes for us to celebrate. Every year M&S people make a huge diference to their local communities, to the environment and to other people – and we recognise and reward these eforts through our Pride of M&S Plan A Awards. The inspirational stories we heard from the winners and runners-up proved just how close Plan A is to our employees’ hearts. Here, we present your winners…
‘The awards evening was truly amazing, I’m sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. What a privilege it was to be standing there before all the wonderful, worthy winners.’ JOANNA LUMLEY, PLAN A AMBASSADOR
November / December cember 2013
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25 YOUR M&S
Plan A Awards ‘It was my absolute pleasure to co-host the fantastic awards ceremony. Our winners have accomplished some phenomenal achievements in their roles.’ MIKE BARRY, DIRECTOR OF PLAN A
Best Individual Fundraiser Sandra Monkman-Charlton, Harrogate store Having raised £11,700 already this year, Sandra has supported her local community by funding a probe for detecting heart defects in unborn babies, helping to maintain the helicopter used by the local Air Ambulance and running activity services for people with dementia and their carers. She told us: ‘Fundraising is my passion – I love knowing that what I’m doing helps my community.’
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Best Fundraising Team Award (Clockwise from top left) Patrick Ferris, Julie Barton, Caroline O’Sullivan, Bobby Boal, Pat McConvey and Lesa Tufts from Abbeycentre store, Belfast When a colleague’s friend’s son sadly passed away at the age of four, the store decided to support his charity, Aidan Dufy Especially for You, and raised an amazing £17,700. Colleague Lesa Tufts said: ‘We always try to help charities in the community that really mean something to our staf members so we can make a real diference.’
08/11/2013 23:24
L Local Community Champion of the Year C Individual – Maz Majid, In Head of GM Merchandising H ng Operation (right) (r With a team of 15 colleagues from our Paddington W offi o ce, Maz developed a programme me of mentoring 100 children from deprived communities. ch ities. Maz told us: ‘‘My M background was similar to some me of the children we are mentoring, and I wanted ch to put something back into the community. It’s a great way for them co em to gain confidence and learn aboutt potential career opportunities.’ po
Best Host of Macmillan’s World Biggest Coffee Morning Rita Smith (right) and Alexis Campbell (left) from Newcastle store M&S Café The M&S Café colleagues at this store went the extra mile to ensure their Coffee Morning was a huge success. Café Manager Alexis Campbell says: ‘It was an incredible day, everyone got dressed up for our Mad Hatter theme and we made sure our customers had a fabulous time.’
Greatest Volunteering Uptake Weston-Super-Mare store At Weston-Super-Mare store, volunteering to help local charities is at an incredible level and just a few of the causes colleagues are involved with include Cancer Research and Springboard Opportunity Group, which provides support for pre-school children with special needs. Representing the store, Sue Clark, right, (accompanied by Lisa George, left) says: ‘We’re so proud to win this award – giving back to the community is very important to us.’
Local Community Champions of the Year Team – Kriss Scott and Rosarie Noon, Morpeth Sanderson store
Our Plan A Ambassador Joanna Lumley at the awards
When the local community suffered severee flooding and residents were forced to flee their homes, these colleagues were immediately eager to help. Through Business Continuity and Plan A, they provided £10,000-worth of children’s essentials and bottled water, and delivered food parcels to those who were unable to leave their homes because of the flood.
November / December 2013
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‘These awards are so important as they give us the opportunity to recognise our local heroes, to showcase our people’s stories and for our employees to go back to their stores and offices and inspire others to get involved.’ SACHA BERENDJI, RETAIL DIRECTOR
27 YOUR M&S
Plan A Awards
OTHER WINNERS AND RUNNERS-UP RETAIL AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR DANIEL BEDFORD, CHESHIRE OAKS STORE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AWARD CHARLOTTE FRAMPTON, LEEDS WHITE ROSE STORE
Plan A C Champion of the Year Madelaine Young, formerly at Madelain Edgware Road store (left) Madelaine h has accomplished some phenomenal achievements, lifting her store from the bottom of achievemen performance table by an incredible our Plan A p 400 places. She said: ‘I tried really hard and I cared. really ca ared. The point of Plan A is to encourage encou urage people to be passionate about the eenvironment and their local communities. com mmunities. It is a wonderful and fantastic fan ntastic thing to be part of.’
Best Individual vidual Volunteer Phyliss Buchanan, chanan, Junction One Outlet store (right) This extraordinary inary lady, who spends 100 hours a month h volunteering, is driven to help people in need, d, and her dedication continues because of thee lives she has seen changed through the work she does. Her team that nominated herr said: ‘There are certain people who have ave that special something about them, and nd she has it. Phyliss emanates what this award rd is about and we are so proud to know this special pecial lady.’
BEST MARKS & START LOCATION MARKS & START TEAM, SRI LANKA MARKS & START BUDDY OF THE YEAR AWARD MARION MCGHEE, ARGYLE STREET STORE BEST INDIVIDUAL FUNDRAISER RUNNER-UP SIOBHAN ALLISTER, ENNISKILLEN STORE MOST INSPIRING VOLUNTEER AWARD RUNNER-UP LOIS GILBERT, BIRKENHEAD STORE
November / December 2013
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28 YOUR M&S
Plan A Awards Marks & Start Coordinator of the Year Janiece Brannetti, Braehead store (right) In 2012/2013, Janiece successfully recruited 45 Marks & Start colleagues – a phenomenal figure. ‘It’s wonderful to win this award and very unexpected,’ she told us, ‘but I feel that it should really go to the Marks & Start people I employ because they’re the ones that have worked so hard to turn their lives around.’
Marks & Start Achiever Award ay, Joshua Bilboe-Halliday, Ormskirk store (right) Josh was born profoundly deaf and has cerebral palsy, which affectss his left side, but he has overcome his barriers to get where he is today. Since starting on the Marks & Start programme, he has impressed everyone with his positive attitude and willingness to learn. His is store manager, Jacqui Murray, says: ‘Josh is the most inspirational 17-yearold I have had the pleasure to work with.’
‘We were blown away by the number of fantastic nominations. The winners represent just a few of those amazing stories – of employees making M&S proud.’ TANITH DODGE, HR DIRECTOR
Marks & Start Achiever Award Gary Walker, Market Street store, Manchester (left) Gary had been through a difficult time being homeless, but came to M&S determined to overcome this and enter employment through the Marks & Start programme. Gary told us: ‘Two years ago I would never have believed that I would be where I am now, working at such a prestigious company.’
November / December 2013
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09/11/2013 00:19
28
YOUR M&S
Meet the experts
Meet the experts Customer Assistant Maggie Clarke, from Sutton store, visited Burton’s Biscuit Company, which makes our shortbread. During her visit, Maggie toured the factory and chatted with Factory Manager Duncan Crawford Duncan: What was your favourite part of the day at Burton’s? Maggie: I loved being shown
around the factory and seeing how our shortbread is made. The team also asked for my input and thoughts on some of the packaging designs that they are working on, which was a real privilege. I can’t wait to see if some of them make it onto the shelves in 2014!
CHRISTMAS TINS
All-Butter Scottish Shortbread Petticoat Tails Tin, 450g, £6
Duncan: What do you think makes our shortbread so special? Maggie: For a start, the taste; it’s
so moreish. But the way that the product is displayed is very important, too. I work in ambience in Foods, and love ensuring that it’s presented properly on the shop floor. The stag tin this year is beautiful, really striking. We’ve had them in store since September and they’ve been selling very well. It’s important that we get the right balance of having enough product out on the shop floor, but also making sure that it is displayed in the right way; the M&S way. Duncan: How do you recommend shortbread to customers? Maggie: We have
regular customers who come in to buy the
shortbread throughout the year, but I encourage them to try the rounds or fingers if they haven’t before. I tell them to try heating it up in the oven, too. If customers are sampling a product for the first time, I encourage them to come and find me the next time they are in the store and let me know what they think; it helps me get an idea of what other products I could recommend to them.
Interview swap Maggie: What’s the secret to making such moreish shortbread? Duncan: The recipe that we use All-Butter Scottish Shortbread Stag Tin, 650g, £9
is very simple, but is exclusive to M&S. Everything from the colour to the butter percentage has been agreed with M&S. In the factory, we have highly trained employees who recognise when the mixture has reached exactly the right consistency to go into the moulds, which ensures that the definition of the biscuits and, most importantly, the taste, are perfect. Maggie: What makes Burton’s relationship with M&S so special? Duncan: We’ve been
making shortbread for M&S for 40
years now and are the largest producer of shortbread for UK retailer brands. What’s great is that our operatives are so passionate about making products for M&S; it genuinely excites them and we think that this passion comes through in the final product. Maggie: How do you decide on the design for the tins? Duncan: We start working with
M&S Head Office 18 months before the launch of a tin in store. We always talk to customers in store during the festive period to see what they respond well to, and we take their thoughts into consideration for the following year. Maggie: What makes shortbread so special, and how do you eat yours? Duncan: Shortbread origins date
back to the 12th century and it was later reinforced in the 16th century by Mary Queen of Scots. It is also a very important part of the Scottish Hogmanay tradition – you’d always expect to find a plate of shortbread in any house that you visit on New Year’s Eve; it’s supposed to signify that you’ll never go hungry that year. But many people, including myself, eat it all year round. Personally, I like to dunk it in my coffee.
November / December ember 2013
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Lucy Randall of corporatee communications finds the answers to your questions
Your letters Moving forward
In our Lingerie department we schedule our bra measurement appointments on paper. Would it not be a good idea to use our iPads? We could store this information via Outlook Calendar or an Excel spreadsheet, thus removing the use of paper. It would also be more secure than having peoples’ names and details in a ring binder. Michael Rogers, Wolverhampton store
Star Letter Does M&S offer any incentive for employees to cycle to work? Is there a scheme, not just for our London offices, but our regional offices and stores throughout the country? I work at Castle Donington and know a large proportion of our employees are local. I think it would be a great idea to offer a deal on the purchase of new bikes for any employee who wanted to get fit and help us work towards Plan A.
Scott Foley, Castle Donington distribution centre
We are pleased to say, Scott, that we do indeed have such a scheme. It’s part of M&S Choices – our one stop shop for rewards and benefits. The registration period for the bike scheme comes round every six months – so your next opportunity will be around February 2014. Log on to Choices – www.mandschoices.co.uk – to keep an eye on all the latest offers. If you haven’t already registered on Choices or can’t find your log-in details, please call 0345 3047 474.
A £10 M&S gift voucher for every question featured and £25 for the Star Letter*. We really want to hear from you – we’d love to know what’s on your mind. Please send your letters to the address on p3 of this magazine. *Letters may be edited for publication.
Thanks for the great suggestion, Michael. We agree that there is an opportunity to improve our appointment booking systems. There is currently a review taking place to bring us more up to date. Our in-house digital labs team are looking at possible plans to use an app system to book appointments from smartphones. However, with the exciting launch of our new M&S.com website imminently upon us, our Lingerie booking system will not be looked into until next year, when the website is up and running. But keep your eyes peeled!
A tasty promotion I work in the Bakery at Broughty Ferry, where cookies prove to be very popular. Recently, our store manager asked us to increase sales by 15%. We have been doing our best by promoting the bag of five cookies for £2. I believe we could increase sales by allowing the customer to choose five assorted cookies, instead of five of the same, like competitors such as Millie’s Cookies do. Is this something that could be considered? John Dunne, Broughty Ferry store We think our cookies are scrumptious and are pleased that they are so popular at Broughty
Ferry. We have seen a significant growth in sales by promoting the five-pack bag, making sure they are always available for our customers. Although we love your idea there are some slight problems with implementing it; to ensure we keep our availability where it needs to be, we have to know exactly what we have sold. If we don’t know exactly what we’ve sold, we can’t keep the right quantity of stock flowing to your store – and we can’t risk running out of cookies! If a customer would like to choose an assortment, they can always buy a mix of the individual cookies, or maybe be really indulgent and buy two or three of the five-pack bags. Thank you, though, for the idea, John. We are always looking for ideas of how to sell more of our delicious bakery items and welcome any other ideas.
Shwop some more I work on the Browse & Order Hub, and customers are often disappointed that they can’t use their Oxfam voucher (£5 off when you spend £35 or more) online. Is there any way of making these compatible with our online system? This would encourage more customers to Shwop and, in turn, spend more money by using the Oxfam voucher. George Dancer, Kensington High Street store Thank you for your letter, George. You will be pleased to know that Oxfam vouchers do work online. Each voucher has an online code printed after the voucher expiry date. Customers can just type this in at the online checkout point in the promotional code box. It’s easy, and hopefully a lovely incentive to get even more of our customers Shwopping.
November / December 2013
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Sit back, relax and play these games See if you can find all of these words to do with Christmas dinner hidden in the wordsearch grid. They might read forwards, backwards, down up or diagonally in any direction.
WIN! This gorgeous dress and bag You could be the proud owner of this stylish dress and bag, as modelled above by one of our beautiful employees, Hannah. The prize, which is worth £80, can also be seen on Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in our Christmas TV ad as she joins the Mad Hatter’s tea party. To see more of the lucky employees who were chosen to be magically transported into scenes from the campaign, turn to page 16.
Bacon Cake Carrots Gravy Peas Port Potatoes Pudding Salmon Sauce Sprouts Stuffing Turkey Wine
P S T O R R A C H
N E T R O P I G T
Q O A U V V N R U
E T M S F I T A R
C A D L D F B V K
U T B D A A I Y E
A O U O C S Q N Y
S P R O U T S N G
W I N E C A K E C
Want to own this dress and bag? Email us with your name, store or office details, at the email address below by 20 December
Terms & conditions Entries must be received by 23:59 on Friday 20 December 2013. The prize draw is open to employees of the Marks & Spencer Group of Companies who are permanent residents of the UK and ROI and are aged 18 or over only. Only one entry per person is permitted. No responsibility will be taken for late, lost, indecipherable or misdirected entries. One winner will be drawn at random on Monday 23 December 2013 under the supervision of an independent person. The prize is non-transferable, non-refundable, subject to availability and there is no cash alternative. The winner will be notified by Friday 10 January 2014 by phone. M&S reserves the right to substitute the prize for one which is, in its sole discretion, of equal value. M&S reserves the right to cancel the prize draw at any stage if deemed necessary due to circumstances outside its control. M&S is not liable for any delay or failure to perform any obligation to the winner or other entrants that is caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control or by any act or omission of any third party. The name and county of the winner will be available by sending a stamped addressed envelope to YOUR M&S magazine at the M&S Office at Waterside House. The prize draw shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales. The promoter of the prize draw is Marks & Spencer plc.
Let us entertain you... Why not try this Sudoku for a quick lunchtime brain workout? Good luck.
Do you have some thing to say? Email Employee.Comms@marks-and-spencer.com
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06/11/2013 06:57
The very hat that David Gandy wore while filming the advert
Our cover star, Jane, has her makeup retouched
And... action! An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how we achieved our incredible Christmas shoot, where employees were transported into scenes from our TV ad
‘You’re fabulous!’ Our photographer, Dan, helps the models to feel relaxed
Gorgeous accessories lined up and ready to go
The retoucher begins to work on the image of Hannah as Rosie in the Alice in Wonderland scene
November / December 2013
22 YOUR M&S
Christmas All photos were shot in front of a blank background, with an image from the advert added later
The talented team at work
November / December 2013
See h ow we d i d it !
Look out for the-scen our behindes the digita feature in l YOUR M version of &S on M SW or Today @M&S
. ks ol f , p a r w a s ’ t a Th 4 1 0 2 n i ou y See
32 Back Cover V4 M&S Iss40.indd 32
09/11/2013 00:20