Your M&S by Luis Silva

YOUR M&S ISSUE 30 | FEB/MAR 2012

YOUR JOB YOUR MAG A ZINE

Exclusive offers just for you F From bil mobile phones to DIY, M&S extras are better than ever

Mum’s the word

We celebrate Mother’s Day with Gill, Hannah and Isabelle Bergin from our Hastings store

PLUS

BIG Idea Fairtrade Plan A

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FAIR PLAY TO FAIRTRADE

WE’RE GOOD SPORTS

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Here’s how we’re supporting Fairtrade Fortnight with a range of exciting new products

Our employees are playing their part in the Olympics, plus new gifts so you can support Team GB

Full of inspiration for our product developers, the new M&S archive facility in Leeds has just opened

YOUR M&S

CONTENTS 22 WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS With the ﬁve-year anniversary of Plan A upon us, ﬁnd out what we’ve achieved together

MOTHER’S DAY... WRAPPED UP

With Wi th tthe he b ig d ay a ppro pp roac ro achi ac hing hi ng,, on 18 ng 18 March, Marc Ma rch, rc h, big day approaching, we c eleb el ebra eb rate te tthe he m ostt im os impo port po rtan rt antt pe an pers rson rs on iin n celebrate most important person anyy fa an fami mily mi ly – M um!! Me um Meet et G ililll Be Berg rgin rg in a nd h er family Mum! Gill Bergin and her two tw o da daug ught ug hter ht ers, er s, H anna an nah na h an and d Is Isab abel ab elle el le,, le daughters, Hannah Isabelle, as tthey heyy st he star ar iin n ou ourr go gorg rgeo rg eous eo us p hoto ho to sshoot, hoot ho ot,, ot gorgeous photo mode mo dellllllin ing th in the e be best st o M&S S sp spri riring ng ffashion ashi as hion hi on modelling off M& spring

2 | YOUR M&S

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24 WHAT’S YOUR BIG IDEA?

All the winning suggestions to our directors’ BIG Idea questions are being developed. Discover how we’re progressing, right here

27/1/12 22:45:46

YOUR M&S 04-11 NEWS

Find out all the latest news: from the product launches and charitable deeds, to new campaigns and an M&S Energy offer you deﬁnitely won’t want to miss out on. Read here now!

A TOUCH OF LUXURY Spoil yourself with our new Ragdale Hall spa collection

PEOPLE 26 AND NOW FOR...

…a little something extra. Learn about our new beneﬁts – just for you

Welcome A VERY WARM welcome to the first issue of YOUR M&S for 2012. Although it may still be cold and dark outside, we have plenty to look forward to in this new year. Firstly, we have a host of new M&S extras, so you can benefit from great savings – see p26. We celebrate Mother’s Day on p12 with our cover star Gill Bergin and her two daughters from our Hastings store in East Sussex. As spring gives way to summer, Olympic fever will take hold of the nation, and our talented employees will be playing their part – find out more on p18. As always, we’re looking to the future of our business. This is never more evident than with our new archive facility, on p20, where items from our proud history provide inspiration to our designers and product developers. In addition to looking forward, on p22 we cast our eyes back over what we’ve achieved with Plan A as we reach its five-year anniversary. Finally, I couldn’t sign off without drawing your attention to the longawaited opening of our Paris store. It seems the chic Parisians can’t get enough of our fashion and our food – see p30.

Clare Goulty, Editor

contact: If you have an idea for a great news story, please ask your BIG rep to send it to us.

28 YOUR LETTERS

Superb suggestions from our employees for making our business even better

30 BON RETOUR

We celebrate the very successful return of M&S to Paris

32 YOUR BREAK...

Challenge yourself to a criss cross and sudoku quiz and then enter our fabulous prize draw

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Internal Communications – extn 183283 Internal email: Internal Communications External email: Internal.Communications2@ marks-and-spencer.com Post: Internal Communications, Marks & Spencer, Mailbox 8.17, Waterside House, 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.

Photography in this issue: Dreamstime, Press Association, Alamy, Iona Hodgson, iStockphoto, Daniel Kennedy, Claire Wood. Stylist: Anna Woodman. Hair and Make-Up: Charlotte Foster-Brown. Illustration: Rose Lloyd. Puzzles p32: Lucky Seven Puzzles.

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around...

YOUR M&S

The latest news from

How will you use your charity volunteer day?

very M&S employee is eligible to take one day’s paid leave every year to help a good cause. It’s up to you to decide how you wish to use your Charity Volunteer Day. Employees in our Belfast store, for example, helped the National Trust remove brambles from the sand dunes at a Nature Reserve. The team said it was hard work, but great to know they had played a part in this fantastic M&S initiative. As it’s a leap year and we have an extra day, why not use yours to volunteer? For information about Charity Volunteer Day, see the Plan A pages on the homepage or on My Store Workspace.

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ver the next few weeks, you’ll see new campaigns kicking off for M&S Man, M&S Woman and Autograph. M&S Woman press ads will be based around key fashions and lingerie for the new season at great prices – whether it’s our £39.50 colourful macs, our £29.50 pencil skirt with the innovative Secret Support or our £20 Perfect ﬁt™ bra. Lisa Snowdon is looking resplendent as usual in the campaign. Meanwhile, Twiggy will be returning to a billboard near you promoting our colourful and bright spring fashions – from marvellous macs to sweaters and denim. The M&S Man ads featuring Jamie Redknapp will also showcase the style and value of our

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WOW – WHAT AN A EXPERIENCE! The mountain on stage one is something I have never even come close to before – a 3,000-foot climb over 7km and then another 3,000-foot climb to the ﬁnish. Stage two was a full marathon with another 6,000-foot climb. Stage three was something else – a real adventure downhill race that got the adrenalin

pumping. The rain started and the rocks seemed to turn to slippery marble. Though I felt my legs could shoot out from under me at any moment I felt this enormous grin spread across my face. Stage four was a moonlit race through sand dunes. Creatures scurried out in front of us as we dodged clumps of vegetation growing from the desert ﬂoor.

Next was a marathon in the giant dunes. My legs were burning with pain. I can’t describe how I got through those next miles. I crossed the ﬁnish line with a fellow Brit in tears. I raised £1,000 for the charity and am proud but convinced I can do better next year. First there is another challenge in March in Bristol and one in Senegal in May!

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New spa range rolled out at M&S

menswear, as well as demonstrating that we really have redeﬁned the classics. Next month will see the second phase of the Autograph campaign featuring Ryan Reynolds and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (see above), and the ads will be slick and cinematic.

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There will also be videos of Lisa, Twiggy and Jamie on our website, showing them on our photo shoot offering tips on styling our fashions. See www.marksandspencer/twiggyvideo.com.

e’ve launched exclusive and indulgent bath, body and face products in conjunction with award-winning spa Ragdale Hall. Featuring 10 products, including Mother of Pearl Spa Sugar Scrub, Luxurious Spa Body Butter, Rejuvenating Spa Daytime Moisturiser SPF 15 and Velvet Spa Cream Bath, the products are priced from £6 to £9.50. They will be sold from this month in 173 stores, online and at Ragdale Hall itself. Renowned for its ﬁrst-class facilities, outstanding customer service and value-for-money spa breaks in luxurious yet relaxing surroundings, Ragdale Hall in Leicestershire is the perfect partner for M&S. ‘We developed this range in response to the soaring popularity of spa treatments and spa breaks,’ explained Gillian Ridley-Whittle, Head of Buying for Beauty. ‘The range offers a collection of daily use products that bring a pampering at home spa experience to our everyday routine. The chic and stylish packaging gives it strong bathroom shelf appeal, making ma it the perfect gift, too.’

Food, glorious food

We extended Simply Fuller Longer range so eating W have h t d d our Si l F ll L well, feeling comfortably full and losing weight is now easier. The high-protein dishes, as seen on TV, include:

Rustic Chicken with Chunky Vegetables & Angel Hair Crust of Filo Pastry (above) Scottish Lochmuir Salmon Fillet with Nanjing Rice, Soy & Ginger We’ve also created a meal planner to help you to eat healthy but hearty dishes – see www.marksandspencer.com/health.

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M&S launches new range of bridal lingerie

his month, M&S is launching a new Bridal Collection featuring wedding lingerie that works under all gown styles, as well as ﬂattering and supporting brides in all the right places. Soozie Jenkinson, Head of Lingerie Design, said: ‘Every bride wants to look immaculate for their moment in the spotlight. I believe the perfect dress starts with the perfect underpinnings to ensure you celebrate your special day in style. We have designed this exquisite bridal collection to complement and enhance your special dress and to provide an extra conﬁdence boost on your wedding day.’ The collection combines luxurious silk with delicate vintage-inspired lace and features intricate stitching detail. Key pieces include a 1950s-inspired long-line bra; glamorous waist cinching knickers; a shaping body; a basque; a multiway bra including DD+ sizes; and a silk negligée and gown. There’s also hosiery and the all-important garter. Prices start from £12 for silk knickers and go up to £45 for a luxurious basque.

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YOUR M&S

atthew Frost, aged seven, from Ilkeston in Derbyshire, received a new wheelchair courtesy of an M&S and Newlife grant after his previous one was stolen by scrap metal thieves. Matthew had to cope without a wheelchair for several months following the heartless theft. Things were made even worse as he had recently outgrown his prosthetic leg. Matthew’s dad, Mark, said: ‘Matthew is over the moon. He was devastated when his wheelchair was stolen from outside the house. I rang into the BBC Radio 2 Jeremy Vine show when they were talking about scrap metal and, shortly after, Newlife and M&S came to the rescue. The new £10,000 Permobil power chair will give Matthew back his independence and allow him to move around again.’ M&S has worked with Newlife for seven years to recycle returned products – as part of the Plan A commitment to send no operational waste to landﬁll by 2012. Newlife sells most of the donated items and recycles the remainder. Newlife CEO Sheila Brown OBE said: ‘This happy ending has been made possible because of our fantastic partnership with M&S, which beneﬁts hundreds of children with disabilities.’

ulay Stéphanie Go

Our Customer Assistant from our new Paris store, in the city of love, picks the Valentine’s products she hopes to receive...

CHOCOLATES Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but what about diamond-shaped chocolates? When there are no more chocolates left you still have the box to treasure.

AUTOGRAPH ROSES BOUQUET Flowers, especially roses, are the most romantic love symbol.

Sea our new store

ur Falmouth store recently underwent a modernisation that involved cranes, boats and automobiles! This Concept 11 project was unique for the business as the Falmouth store backs right into the sea and has no backstage or loading

bay access. This posed some challenges for the team – and cranes were used to lift new refrigeration plant onto the roof from a barge out at sea! This tricky manoeuvre had to be based around high tide to get the boat close enough to the store.

OUDINOT ROSÉ CHAMPAGNE Last, but not least, I would love to receive this champagne. A typical French drink for special occasions – and what could be a better occasion than Valentine’s Day? Cheers!

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FANTASTIC FISH Our Forever Fish campaign has been awarded a Gold Medal in the MCS Supermarket Seafood Survey 2011, which is the benchmark for seafood sustainability in UK supermarkets. The Marine Conservation Society said: ‘Perhaps most impressive is the proactive work M&S is doing in driving sustainability forward in the seafood industry through research projects and initiatives in ﬁsh farms and wild ﬁsheries at sea.’

90%

per una Dress T62/2514H £79

of wild ﬁsh sold at M&S last year came from more sustainable sources

Autograph Dress T50/2253 £45

Springing into action Fun retro prints, bold colours and earthy textures are the order of the day in the M&S Spring Summer 2012 collection, due at your store any day now

Keep warm for FREE!

id you know that around half the heat loss in a typical home is through the walls and loft? All that wasted heat not only costs you more in energy bills, it’s bad news for climate change, too. The M&S Energy team has a simple solution: insulation! And until 31 March they’re offering insulation worth up to £610 absolutely free, to all employees. Just visit www.mands-extras.co.uk, or call 0800 0 106 106, to book your free assessment and installation. One of our approved assessors will advise on whether you need loft or cavity wall insulation (or both), then it’s installed for you. All for free! There are no paper forms to complete and you don’t even need to own the property. Once your home is properly insulated, you’ll reduce heat loss, save money on your bills and do your bit for climate change – so visit Your M&S extras site today. Plus, see p26 to read about other beneﬁts you’re entitled to, thanks to Your M&S extras.

Terms and conditions apply

ur womenswear fashions ﬁt into ﬁve stunning trends from the world’s catwalks. Miami Kitsch features sherbet brights and cool retro styling, while Culture Clash is brimming with exotic colours and tribal motifs. Sugar pastels and pretty metallics sum up our Park Avenue trend. Meanwhile, Track Stars encompasses soft sporty tailoring and acid-bright colours. Finally, bold printing and gold embellishment are key to the opulent 1920s Deco Diva trend. Kate Bostock, Executive Director of Clothing, Home & Beauty, said: ‘I’m really excited by our Spring Summer collections. We’re using dynamic prints to add drama to classic shapes and a fresh versatile colour palette that our customers will love.’ The feedback was overwhelmingly positive at our SS12 Press Show at which members of the media got a sneak preview. ‘Every season just gets better and better,’ said one admiring journalist. Another commented: ‘Fab new collections – loving the colour, print and texture – just gorgeous.’ Kaftan T52/1398 £25; Swimsuit T52/8176 £39.50

Limited Collection Cardigan T62/1850H £39.50; M&S Woman Jeans T54/8057 £22.50

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YOUR M&S

Terriﬁc triathlon

mployee Liz Williams has competed in the Woolworth’s Triathlon in South Africa for M&S. Our Food and Plan A Product PR Manager came seventh out of 32 women, and 85th overall out of 235 – not bad for a beginner! Liz said: ‘Despite taking lots of tumbles off my bike during the route up the side of a mountain, a run through sand, and 36°C heat, I made it through the ﬁnish line!’ Liz raised funds for Habitat for Humanity, a charity helping impoverished families. To sponsor Liz, see www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/trigirlliz.

New year, new start

Are you thinking about sending your children to university? If so, it’s time to get your savings in order With higher education now one of life’s big expenses, M&S Money lets us in on its recent research and provides helpful hints to make sure you are prepared...

52% of parents haven’t started to save for their child’s university education* 49% of those who are saving started when their child was four or older 32% of parents who are saving began when their child was seven or older £48,409 is what parents hoping to cover their child’s cost of living as well as their university fees will need to save in total from this year†

£2,689 per year, over 18 years, is what parents would need to save, if they started the year their child is born

Paul Stokes, M&S Money, has these tips plus a reminder about the end of tax year deadline for your ISA allowance • Tax-efficient savings: Look at a tax-efficient wrapper, such as a cash ISA or stocks and shares ISA. Remember, the end of the tax year is on 5 April. Don’t forget to make use of your ISA allowance for this year (£10,680) of which £5,340 can be subscribed to a cash ISA and the remainder can be subscribed to a stocks and shares ISA. Alternatively the full £10,680 can be subscribed to a stocks and shares ISA. • Savings: Fixed-term options enable you to save at a fixed rate, so you have the reassurance of knowing what you will get back. • Investments: Investment funds and shares can yield a higher return. However, they’re designed for the long rather than short term, so they shouldn’t be considered as a quick fix. Stock market-based investments can go down as well as up in value and investors may get back less than they originally invested. • It’s never too late to start saving: Even if you can’t cover all of your child’s university fees, every penny helps. *Research carried out by Opinion Matters among a sample of 1,000 parents with children under the age of 18 years between 22 and 29 June 2011. †According to Homesforstudents.co.uk, April 2011

:60 SECOND

INTERVIEW Julia Bradley, Product Developer for Party Food & Delicatessen, tells us about delicious M&S delicacies

Where do you get your inspiration from for new products? We have a team of chefs looking at what is happening with food around the world and in the UK. They go to lots of conferences, talk to leading chefs, and track what is happening in restaurants, in the press, on TV and in every food magazine, blog and internet food site. We then research how we want to translate this into innovative products. We have recently been to Israel and Spain to research new dishes for Delicatessen, for example. What is the best part of your role? It’s coming up with an idea, seeing it progress through the development process and then seeing my product bought by customers. I love standing in a queue thinking, ‘I did that!’ What are the challenges? Turning a recipe from small scale into huge scale – for instance our party food Douglas Fir Smoked Bacon Wrapped Prawns are all hand-wrapped in the bacon. That’s ﬁne when you are doing ten, but not when you are making 200,000 of them, as we did in a two-week period before Christmas! The challenge is to make sure that every one is the same quality as the kitchen sample that we ﬁrst approved. Which food trends should we be looking out for over the next 18 months? Eastern Mediterranean is looking very exciting – there are lots of new restaurants opening that are taking street food to another level. Spanish is another emerging trend with lots of tapas bars springing up. What’s your favourite M&S food product? Our Lemon & Ricotta Cheesecake is a Friday treat after a week tasting savoury products!

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Online maternity range launches at M&S

&S is bringing some excitement into maternity wear from March, with its new online range that will feature 30 fashionable and comfortable items for expectant mums. The collection features everything from beautiful ﬂoral dresses and occasionwear to work shirts and trousers. There are also maternity jeggings that are designed to grow with your bump and jeans that can be worn during and after pregnancy. They have a comfortable jersey band over the bump that supports and expands, and after the pregnancy it can be removed simply by unpicking the coloured stitching. Maternity wear prices range from £12 to £45. There will also be swimwear and lingerie for mums-to-be.

M&S and Remploy partnership offers a fresh start

Pat Harkins, a Remploy candidate wh o was helped into employm ent at M&S

hanks to a partnership with disability organisation Remploy, M&S will continue to offer Marks & Start work placements over the next year. M&S teamed up with Remploy in March 2011 and the partnership has already resulted in 67 candidates being supported into employment at M&S, including Pat Harkins. Pat successfully completed a two-week placement on the Marks & Start scheme and is now working as a Customer Services Assistant at the Braehead store in

Glasgow. Pat, who had been out of full-time work for 13 years, said: ‘It’s been great working here. I have such a varied role and the programme has really helped me to boost my conﬁdence and improve my skills.’ The Marks & Start programme provides work experience opportunities to people facing barriers gaining access to the workplace. Remploy was set up after the Second World War to provide employment for ex-miners and injured servicemen. Watch this space for more Marks & Start news.

NEWS IN BRIEF M&S Sri Lanka award

£16,000 for charity

Dedicated employees at Altrincham store raised a whopping £16,000 for a local charity that helps fund projects that are outside the scope of the NHS at specialist cancer hospital The Christie, in Manchester. The team at the Altrincham store did everything from sponsored walks and cake sales to rafﬂes and auctions. Children from the local high school St Paul’s also came to the store to sing to customers and offer a bagpacking service. Well done, and thank you, everyone.

(L-R) Camilla Crockett from The Christie; Store Manager Kevin Ogden; Food Manager Sue Lang; GM Section Manager Mark Foden; GM Commercial Manager Michael Cox; Food Section Manager Simon Connor; BIG Chair Eleanor Evans; Food Section Manager Nikki Connor

The M&S Sri Lanka Regional Ofﬁce received an award from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) recognising the Marks & Start programme and its efforts to help people with disabilities. The scheme has been operational in Sri Lanka since 2004. It is a collaboration with eight suppliers and, to date, 413 people with disabilities have been hired in 16 of our factories.

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YOUR M&S

It’s what’s underneath that really counts We have a host of new launches in our lingerie and hosiery departments...

omen love M&S underwear and hosiery. But, never one to rest on our laurels, we have been busy researching how we can improve and innovate.

COTTON NO VPL KNICKERS

We sell more than three million pairs of No VPL knickers a year – but now, for the ﬁrst time, we’re offering Cotton No VPL knickers, designed with premium cotton and lace and in neutral shades. FLATTER ME™ KNICKERS

Another new launch is Flatter Me™ knickers. Christy Kershaw, Shapewear Technologist, said: ‘Our younger customers told us they wanted pretty everyday knickers that would give them a conﬁdence boost. These Brazilian-style and high leg shapes sit just below the waist and are engineered to smooth the tummy and hips.’ PREPARE TO BARE

Our Prepare To Bare™ tights are developed with a moisturising or slimming ﬁnish and are available in 7-denier ladder-resist sheer or 60-denier body-sensor opaque. They’re the best way to get your legs ready for summer!

A career in food

We’ve launched a campaign in schools to inspire young people to follow a career in the food industry. GCSE and A-Level students can learn about everything from nutrition, health and sustainability, to product development and manufacturing, through resources developed by M&S and the British Nutrition Foundation. These include case studies, videos, career proﬁles and e-seminars. Visit http://corporate. marksandspencer.com/mscareers/ working_with_schools for more information about the project.

In every issue, we’ll be focusing on one of our Flavours of the World brands, exclusive to M&S in the UK. Here, we look at Turrón Vicens Almond and Honey Torta all the way from Spain This small manufacturer in Lerida in Cataluña – where the best almonds are grown – has been making these confectionary products since 1775. The recipe of the Turrón Vicens has been passed down from father to son ever since. Generation after generation, the company has prepared nougats in the traditional manner, using only natural and carefully selected ingredients including hazelnuts and local honey. The Almond and Honey Torta (£4.99) are also packed with 70% almonds and covered with delicious caramel. Treat yourself now – at M&S.

Good health

Our Maldon Simply Food store embraced a BIG exercise challenge recently. A team of 25 employees took part and they ended up with two walking teams, one running team, one cycling team and one swimming team. They raised £800 for The Daisy Garland, which supports those whose lives are touched by epilepsy, after one employee lost his sister to Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy.

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Mum deserves to be spoiled as she does such a good job looking after us all year round Isabelle

y s Da ’ r e h Mot we With aching, photo o appr d a glam Bergin e host with Gill t s shoo aughter abelle d s and ah and I Hann

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ur trio of cover stars jumped at the chance to appear in our special Mother’s Day-themed photo shoot. Hannah, 20, and Isabelle, 17, wanted to spoil their very special mum, Gill, and say a big thank you for everything she does for their family. The three ladies are all loyal M&S employees working at our Hastings store and they proved the perfect models to show off our Spring Summer 2012 fashions from the Autograph, per una and M&S Woman ranges.

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FEATURE

My dream Motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day is for us all to be together Gill

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Keeping it in the family

Gill has worked for M&S for seven years, starting out as a Christmas temp. She now works in HR. ‘The best thing about my job is the variety,’ says Gill. ‘And the people, too, of course.’ Hannah spent a year in Visual Merchandising at our Tunbridge Wells store and now works weekends at the Hastings branch while she studies Woven Textiles at Brighton University. She is hoping to do a placement this year at a mill or at M&S Head Ofﬁce. Isabelle works in the store at weekends while studying for her A-Levels.

Motherly love

Starring in our Mother’s Day photo shoot was all the more special for Gill because she lost her own mum when she was just 12. ‘I never used to look forward to Mother’s Day, but now I have my own children it’s good, and it’s great to come on this Mother’s Day photo shoot with my girls,’ she says. ‘I have three wonderful children and I’m so proud of each of them.’

Dressed for success

And what do the family make of their outﬁts? Mum loves Isabelle in the blue Limited Collection dress. ‘She usually wears black or white so it’s nice to see her wearing something so fun.’ And what about Hannah? ‘She doesn’t wear her hair up often, but she should as she looks lovely.’ The feeling’s mutual – the girls think mum looks fabulous in the per una Speziale dress. So, what was the thinking behind our new SS12 ranges? Kate Bostock, Executive Director of Clothing, Home & Beauty, explains: ‘From the fun retro-inspired 1950s and earthy textures to eclectic prints and decadent embellishment of the 1920s, M&S has the key looks covered this season.’ Helen Low, Head of Design, says: ‘Our Spring Summer 2012 fashions feature candy brights, traditional ﬂorals and photographic prints and we think Gill, Hannah and Isabelle look amazing.’ As for what the girls and brother, Edward, will be giving mum on 18 March, they remain tight-lipped. But they did let slip that Gill loves chocolate so hopefully she’ll receive some decadent delights! Previous page: Isabelle wears: Limited Collection Blue Dress T62/1436L £39.50; Autograph Wedges T02/1952 £49.50. Hannah wears: Limited Collection Dress T61/1462L £45; Autograph Shoes T02/1951A £45. Gill wears: per una Speziale Dress T62/2507H £69; Belt T83/4413 £9.50.

Mum is very caring and it’s good working in the same store, too Isabelle

This page: Isabelle wears: Autograph Yellow Dress T50/2345 £59; M&S Woman Sandals T02/0458 £25. Gill wears: Limited Collection Top T62/1590 £35; Jeans model’s own; Flowers £10. Hannah wears: M&S Woman Jumper T38/2597 £35; Limited Collection White Jeans T62/1023I £29.50; Green Bag T83/6060 £22.50; Scarf T01/3445L £15.

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FEATURE

I can talk to Mum about everything and she’s always there for me Hannah

I have three wonderful children and I’m so proud of each of them Gill

Turn th page to e s our pic ee k of Mother ’s Day gif ts YOUR M&S | 15

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Go ahead and spoil someone special this Mother’s Day...

Dreamy Days Eau de Toilette 100ml T20/0203D £15

per una Handbag T83/1679 £27.50

Jam Set T40/0694F £10

Geisha Teapot T34/2512T £25

Geisha Gei sha Velvet Velve Ve lvett Embroidery Embroi Emb roider dery Cushion T47/8875 £45

Mother’s Day Cake £9.99

Faux Pearl Diamanté Diaman Dia manté man té T-B T-Bar ar Bracelet Bracel Bra celet cel et T06/0427E T06/04 T06 /0427E /04 27E £12.50 £12.5 £1 2.50 2.5 0 Chocolate Encyclopedia £9.50

Flowers £25

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FEATURE

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world

Production line: developing a tea packing facility in Kenya

Fair play to Fairtrade

Growth spurt: selecting the best grade of tea for our products

M&S is a wholehearted supporter of Fairtrade Fortnight and we’re set to celebrate from 27 February to 11 March

Taste test: Paul Mylrea samples the new tea

here are many Fairtrade-certified products on sale at M&S, from biscuits, chocolate and ice cream to flowers, honey and nuts. And, of course, we were the world’s largest retailer of Fairtrade-certified cotton clothing in 2010. This year, to coincide with Fairtrade Fortnight, we are launching a new tea and coffee line. But that’s not all – we’ve also helped our growers develop a packing facility so they can expand their market.

Mount Kenya Teabags

Our new range of tea is grown, picked and packed at source, in the foothills of Mount Kenya in the Aberdare Ranges. ‘This is a ﬁrst for M&S and a ﬁrst for Fairtrade,’ said Sarah Loxton, M&S Product Developer, who visited Kenya. ‘We normally take loose tea from the growers and ship it to the UK. Here we worked closely with the Iriaini tea co-operative to help set up a packing facility and taught them to pack to M&S standards. This allows the tea co-operative to sell their tea to the local market. Plus, we were on-site so we could select the best grade of tea and process it in a different way, which gives a great fresh taste.’

Gikanda Growers Kenyan Coffee

We’ve worked in partnership with the Gikanda Growers for many years. This is a new experiment where, for the ﬁrst time, the coffee has been picked, roasted, ground and packed where the beans are grown, so it’s the freshest possible drink. While in Kenya, the team shot a video telling the story – visit www.marksandspencer.com/PlanA for more information.

Fairtrade facts

1988

First ‘Fairtrade’ coffee from Mexico was sold in Dutch supermarkets

Put the kettle on: our new Fairtrade tea and coffee products

60%

increase in Fairtrade sales at M&S in 2010/11 compared to 2006/07

10,000 Fairtrade products now sold in more than 70 countries

4.9m

garments of Fairtradecertiﬁed cotton clothing sold by M&S in 2010/11

people beneﬁting in 58 developing countries

3,000 Fairtrade products now for sale in the UK

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27/1/12 23:17:18

We’re good sports This summer will be a period of celebration for Britai Britain – it’s the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Euro 2012 and we’re hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Here’s how M&S is limbering up...

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FEATURE

ur nation will take centre stage this summer – and as one of Britain’s best-known retailers, we’re perfectly positioned to celebrate with our customers. Although not an ofﬁcial Olympic sponsor, we are supporting the British Olympic Association (BOA), which prepares British athletes for the summer, winter and youth Olympic Games. This privileged position means we’ll be offering a handful of employees the chance to get involved in the Games. Watch this space! And rest assured, we have a team of people working hard behind the scenes to explore how we can best celebrate with our employees, prepare for the inﬂux of visitors in stores and deal with logistical challenges for colleagues. Keep an eye on the Homepage for employees and speak to your Store Manager for more details.

Our employees competing in the Games

We’re proud to announce some of our colleagues are Olympic and Paralympic Games’ hopefuls. Michael Barker from our Simply Food store on the New Mersey Retail Park is in the football squad

and Adam Stebel from Meadowhall is hoping to be show-stopping in showjumping. Natalie Massey from Trafford Centre and Azi Zahed from Birmingham Fort are hoping to compete in the swimming events. M&S has been supporting these athletes during their training to ensure they have the best chance of success. What’s more, 11 employees will also have the honour of being Olympic torch bearers after winning Plan A awards last year for their charity fundraising, environmental awareness and personal achievements. Many more M&S employees are using their hard-earned holiday to volunteer at the Games and enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Our customers getting the winning gift

Whether you’re a footie fanatic or athletics aﬁcionado, we are also launching a number of products to celebrate this summer’s events and the Best of British. For more information, and to see our full range of products, please keep your eye out in store.

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27/1/12 23:21:11

From teddy bears and tea cups to biscuit tins and striped dresses, we take a step back in time at our new archive facility in Leeds and see how our history is shaping our future

&S has a proud 128-year history – and that’s why we will be opening a new state of the art archive facility on the University of Leeds campus in March. The archive is a collection of 70,000 M&S artefacts, including merchandise, reports, documents, ﬁlms, photographs and letters, some of which have been donated by employees and customers over the years.

Above: The Penny Bazaar days – when all products were sold at the same low price Inset: Co-founder Michael Marks

Celebrating our history is just as important as looking to the future – and the archive does both in equal measure. In fact, it is regularly used within the business as a source of inspiration for our new ranges, from toys and bags to dresses and lingerie. What’s more, it is fitting that the new facility is in Leeds since Michael Marks opened his first market stall in the city’s Kirkgate Market in 1884. This dedicated new building has environmental controls that ensure the preservation of all items in our rich history. In designing the building, Plan A was at the forefront of our minds, and it was built using materials that have the lowest environmental impact. The archive will be open to the public for the first time, between 9am and 5pm, from Monday to Friday with some special Saturday events also planned. With free entry, everyone can take a trip down memory lane. Visitors who had a sneak preview of the archive were impressed. Comments included: ‘It brings back so many happy memories’ and ‘It’s great to see where the company came from.’ The exciting new archive just goes to prove that M&S is interwoven in the country’s economic, cultural and social fabric – see for yourself!

This is a wonderful resource and I was both delighted and proud to see M&S’s commitment to preserving our great heritage. This archive will continue to provide inspiration for our new products for years to come Robert Swannell, Chairman

Left: M&S Chairman Robert Swannell with an M&S Art Deco tea set from the 1930s

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FEATURE

Emma Burgham, Senior Archivist ‘The archive provides inspiration for all our designers. There is also a legal value as the archive can help protect copyright and trademarks. Featuring many items from wartime Britain, this is where M&S business history meets national and international history.’

Here’s how products from our archive have helped inspire current ranges This much-loved teddy bear inspired designers working on Spencer Bear, a toy produced annually.

Katharine Carter, Company Archivist ‘We are leading the way in terms of business archives. We’re all part of something with such a rich history and we want to work with you to make sure we collect items now for people to look at in the future. Many employees will have old items that could be of value to the archive. My mum had two M&S kaftans from the 1970s that now form part of the archive. In addition to products, we need to keep records of important moments in the business when key decisions were made.’

This navy button cotton skirt with blue stripe detail is from 1964 and is in good condition with the original labels. In 2009, especially for our 125th anniversary, it formed the basis of the design of a best-selling grey sleeveless dress with white stripe detail at the hem.

Caroline Burt, Education and Outreach Ofﬁcer ‘My role is to make the collection accessible to a wide audience, including schools. Visitors aren’t hearing about history, watching a programme about it or ﬁlling in a worksheet. Instead, they can see it and touch it. We’re bringing the history of M&S to life.’

Every year a Christmas biscuit tin is developed based on items in the archive. This 2011 tin makes use of the 1950s Marks & Spencer logo. There’s no shortage of material in the archive to inspire tins for years to come.

Our reusable Tomato Soup Bag is based on the original label for our Tomato Soup tins sold in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

YOUR M &S

The employee magazine, St Michael News, was published from June 1953 to June 1999. This version is from the 1950s. It featured news of store openings, refurbishments and merchandise launches. It was the equivalent of YOUR M&S – a 2011 issue of which forms part of the archive collection!

01 Cover

ISSUE

28 | OCT OBER

2011

YOUR YOUR JOB MAGA ZINE

Conce progra pt 11 mme

It all starts here!

V2 M&S

Soozie Jenkinson, Head of Design, Lingerie ‘Global design trends today are very much inﬂuenced by styles from past decades. And, at M&S, we are incredibly privileged to have more than 125 years of our own unique history in our archive to delve into for creative inspiration. Having launched our very ﬁrst bra in 1926, we have a wealth of information on lingerie in the archive. We used this when creating a stunning 1950s-inspired Limited Collection lingerie range launching later this year to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.’

Iss28.in dd 1

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What is

Plan A is about doing business in the right way for the world around us – and helping our people and customers to do the same. It’s also made us more efﬁcient and contributed £70m of business beneﬁts last year. We have 180 commitments, under 7 pillars, to make us the world’s most sustainable major retailer by 2015:

Involving our Making It How Customers We Do Business

Climate Change

Waste

Natural Resources

Fair Partner

Health and Wellbeing

You are the champions

This will be a big year for Plan A. It’s ﬁve years since we launched the campaign and many of the original commitments we made are due to be completed. Here Jacqui Burgess, Plan A Champion, gives the inside track

hanks to your efforts, Plan A has come a long way since its launch. In the summer we’ll be announcing how we’ve done so far. In the meantime, we hear from Jacqui Burgess, a Customer Assistant from our Stratford-upon-Avon store. She has been involved from the beginning, so she’s perfectly placed to tell us how Plan A has made a positive change in our stores and how we’re looking for ways to make it bigger and bolder.

How did you become involved?

In 2006, our Store Manager put a sign up inviting people to apply to be a Plan A Champion. The objective was to encourage, convert and persuade colleagues and managers to be more environmentally aware. After I was selected, we were invited to London where all the

Plan A Champions got together for an amazing presentation.The lights were dimmed and Al Gore’s ﬁlm An Inconvenient Truth was shown on a huge screen. The atmosphere was charged and it was so exciting.

How did Plan A work in your store in the early days?

We formed a green team that included someone from every part of the store. It was like Chinese whispers trying to get the message around without always having time to have a meeting or get off the shop ﬂoor. We also got together at my house to discuss things over a takeaway in our Team Green Thai meetings. We began trying to educate employees about sorting waste. It was like throwing a stone in a pool and seeing the ripple spread. Now I am proud to see recycling has become part of the fabric of our business.

What are the main Plan A achievements over the past ﬁve years?

There isn’t an area in the store that hasn’t been affected by it, from installing energysaving taps in the toilets to recycling hangers. No landﬁll bins We recycle everything in store, from till roll inners and plastic wrapping to soiled and damaged clothes. Food close to its sell-by date As part of our promise that nothing will go to landﬁll, this is offered to customers at a reduced price.

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It’s easy for everyone to get involved in Plan A – and we have a lot of fun, too

Lights Now we have automatic lighting. You don’t want to light up a store like tinsel town when it’s closed. We won an award for hitting our targets and ranking third in the company for energy saving in 2008/9. Carrier bag charge When we started to implement the company-wide charge for food carrier bags, we realised it was important that everyone on every ﬂoor understood why we were charging and to explain this to customers.

What’s your proudest memory?

I will always remember that ﬁrst meeting of all the Plan A Champions in London, ﬁve

27/1/12 23:31:41

Above: exercise for Jam Jacqui’s Plan A C

FEATURE years ago. I was also lucky enough to visit BiogenGreenﬁnch, which converts food chain waste into renewable energy. There was the feeling of being at the beginning of something very special. I’ll never forget talking to the staff there about how they would change the world. And they have. I’m really proud to have been a part of this.

How is Plan A progressing?

80%

What’s your ﬁve-year plan?

reduction in number of food bags given out

To continue to improve on our earlier energy savings in store and increase our employees’ community involvement.

How do customers react to Plan A?

Customers trust M&S to do the right thing. They know about Plan A campaigns, such as Forever Fish and UNICEF, plus the Oxfam One Day Wardrobe clear-outs have been popular. And when I talk to customers they’re really interested and want to know more.

1.2m

What advice do you have for other Plan A Champions?

It’s all about building and maintaining relationships, motivating people, and ﬁnding a way to get things done. It’s a team effort. Try to include operations in your green team, as they know how things blend together, and a manager as they can often wave magic wands! It’s also important to catch new employees and explain Plan A to them. We mention our energy website on which you can see spikes in the graphs when the night blinds on fridges are not being used. We encourage employees to check the Plan A Health and Wellbeing site and use the tips on there. Finally, you’ve got to keep your foot on the pedal and talk, talk, talk to people.

items recycled in our Oxfam One Day Wardrobe clear-outs

99.5% of M&S waste is now diverted from landﬁll

23% improved energy efﬁciency in our stores, over four years

How can employees get involved in Plan A?

Above: Sir Ian Botham with leukaemia survivors at the launch of his fundraising walk, which is supported by M&S Below: Colleagues from Stratford-upon-Avon join in

It’s easy to play a part – whether in your store, community or home. The small things we do every day in our stores add up to make a real difference, and things like fundraising, volunteering and wellbeing are also really important. Plan A isn’t just about being green, it’s also fun and very rewarding! It’s win-win – we do our bit for the world around us, the business hangers have been earns money and trust, and recycled since our partnership with UNICEF we have a lot of fun too!

100 million

Above: A charity exercise challenge for James Burrow, Jacqui’s fellow Plan A Champion

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launched, raising more than £400,000 for the charity

YOUR YOU R M&S M&S | 23 M&

27/1/12 23:31:45

We had 2,000 responses to each of our BIG Idea questions, all co-ordinated by BIG representatives across the business. Here we explain how the winning ideas are being developed ‘How can we encourage customers to buy items in store when they collect Shop Your Way orders?’

Kate Bostock, Executive Director of General Merchandise

WINNER Julia Bond

Customer Assistant, Swansea store Julia’s idea was for customers placing an order via Shop Your Way (which is either in store, online, by mobile web or by phone – with free delivery to their nearest store) to be sent a Spend & Save voucher by text message to be used on the day or the week in which they collect their order. We’re working on a solution to operational issues with Julia’s suggestion, but we are hoping to test this idea in Q4. Julia said: ‘I was surprised that such a simple idea won. I would encourage any member of staff to put their idea forward, however simple they think it might be. These are usually the best ideas!’ We’ll keep you posted on progress.

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‘How can we reduce non-customer facing activity?’ Steve Rowe, Director of Retail

WINNER Tricia Brand

Section Manager, Glasgow Argyle store Tricia suggested that all deliveries were sent in clear tote boxes, rather than dark blue ones. ‘That would save us lots of time opening and closing boxes,’ explained Tricia. She spent a day at Waterside meeting the team working on developing her idea. A trial has taken place, but on review of the results we haven’t been able to source a suitable material that makes the clear plastic box ﬁt for purpose, so currently there are no plans to roll this out further.

The BIG Idea scheme is a complete success. I am impressed by the quality, variety and originality of the ideas

‘What one thing could we do to really make a difference to our customers and delight them every time they visit a store or shop online?’ Ma Marc Bolland, CEO

WINNER Adam Maher Store Manager, Craigleith, Scotland

Adam’s idea was to encourage customers to shop online by giving them the opportunity to review new M&S products and be rewarded for doing so. The idea will be brought to life by our Ecommerce team. Adam said: ‘I had never expected to win but it shows that if you take a little time to submit your idea then anyone could have the opportunity to inﬂuence the way we run our business.’ Adam will spend a day at Waterside and meet CEO Marc Bolland to learn about the implementation of his idea.

Marc Bolland, CEO

27/1/12 23:34:55

FEATURE ‘How can we best celebrate and mark the occasion of summer 2012?’ Steve Rowe, Director of Retail

Alyson Crombie

Commercial Manager, Dumfries store

WINNERS Caroline Sherratt

Graduate Commercial Manager, Norwich store

Lindsay Yeates

Menswear Product Technologist

‘How do we recycle more clothing hangers of all types?’ Richard Gilles, Director of Plan A, CSR & Sustainable Business

WINNER Tim Dodd

Regional FOM for the North West region

There were a number of suggestions about developing a ‘Street Party’ concept with a range of themed food products, merchandise and offers. The ideas from Alyson, Caroline and Lindsay showed careful thought and creativity about how we can encourage

customers to shop with us – such as weekly offers, competitions or a possible charitable partnership. Caroline said: ‘I am delighted and honoured to have been named one of the winners. It’s fantastic to know our voices are being heard at the top.’

‘How can we tempt shoppers to buy food when they come in for GM?’ John Dixon, Executive Director, Food

WINNER Kris Evans

Tim’s simple yet effective idea was to encourage hanger recycling by focusing on the UNICEF link and bringing the numbers to life. For example, Handforth store will provide clean drinking water to a village by collecting 1,000 boxes of hangers this year. This will make it real for employees and more tangible for customers. Tim will be attending the ﬁrst project meeting to help put his idea into action and to learn more about the development process. He said: ‘I feel proud that my idea is being developed into something that will be used across the business to support such a fantastic cause as UNICEF and our Plan A strategy.’

Head Ofﬁce, Finance & Procurement Kris suggested the use of a voucher scheme to encourage GM customers to visit Foods during the same shopping trip or shortly after. He said: ‘I was really pleased to be able to contribute to a customer-facing initiative. With the current trading conditions still tough, any initiatives that bring extra value to the customer and increased sales for M&S should

hopefully be well received.’ We are currently exploring the systems that generate vouchers in order to drive sales from customers in one area to another. We are very excited that we will be running a trial in the next few months and we will keep you updated on the results of this.

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27/1/12 23:34:58

G Y N I V NE A S MO U O Y

And now for a little something extra

Your M&S extras is a voluntary beneﬁts scheme – bringing exclusive discounts to all our employees. And this year, we’ve even more offers to tell you about…

W ith O 2, deal w ees can w e n ploy f our e bill. ns em roud o really p n, which mea mobile phon e ’r e W e ir e e b p n th O a on . O rc called 2 £75 credit that the offe y and friends to il get up even better is of your fam e What’s d to up to ﬁv e d n f exte et tarif et: hands g ly u o th y n what ay mo iff Here’s redit for a p set tar th c n 5 o 7 ly hand m ●£ r th e n p o m 20 f over £ dit for a pay ity tarif cre r e Simplic ● £50 d th n n u o r o m at £20 dit for a 12- ) riff cre -only licity ta ● £25 y is SIM 30-day Simp it c li p (Sim fter for a ount a credit ur acc re are o ● £10 y n o e credits tion. Plus, th tage t these an ec You ge ays of conn an take adv contract, ile 0d ou c 60 to 9 re beneﬁts y ost pay mob .50 a month 8 p o lots m have an O 2 band from £ ies in store. d r u a o o s y ro s if b ils. e f c e o hom ne ac e for full deta o g h in p d e lu il it b s inc o b e m off as w or 10% e M&S extr th k c e h C

en O 2 Op

elcome to Your M&S extras – an outstanding range of discounts arranged especially for M&S employees. From your favourite high street shops to more than 2,000 gyms around the UK, we have been busy negotiating so you get great deals everywhere you go. This is because we want to help you make the most of your money and support you in the current economic climate. Since we updated the website in September with new deals, we’ve seen a ﬁve-fold increase in visitor numbers. But with 80,000 employees working for M&S, we know lots of you still aren’t taking advantage of the great array of offers to which you’re entitled, so don’t miss out! Here’s the lowdown on two of the latest offers we’ve added to the Your M&S extras package...

Do-it-yourself

With a new year having started and spring around the corner, this is prime DIY time. That’s why we have a new discount with the Wolseley Group, which means employees can beneﬁt from trade prices, or better, across their network of Plumb Center, Parts Center, Drain Center, Pipe Center and Climate Center. Not only that – we have also negotiated a special deal with Bathstore giving you a fantastic 10% discount. You too could save money and get great deals. Just log on to Your M&S extras site today – your username and password are below.

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PEOPLE You can beneﬁt from Salary Exchange

We saved a whopping £200 on our Eurocamp holiday for our family of four – absolutely brilliant! Jeanette Brennock

Top deals for you Get the latest deals on travel, leisure, shopping, motoring, dining and more. These deals are far too good to miss! SAVE UP TO 17% ON APPLE PRODUCTS

5% OFF WITH VIRGIN HOLIDAYS

SAVE UP TO 40% AT APH AIRPORT PARKING

UP TO 30% OFF MANY UK CINEMAS

SAVE 10% AT CAFÉ ROUGE

BEST CORPORATE RATES AT MORE THAN 2,000 GYMS

20% OFF FOOD BILL AT FRANKIE & BENNY’S

SAVE 10% WITH SUPERBREAK

GREAT DISCOUNTS ON M&S MONEY PRODUCTS

SAVE 7% AT PIZZA HUT

SAVE 7% AT TONI & GUY

25% DISCOUNT WHEN YOU JOIN RAC

Some of our other fantastic partners

The Salary Exchange scheme allows employees to reduce their gross salary in exchange for a benefit of the same value. By doing this, you can save money as you’ll be paying less National Insurance (NI) and, in some cases, less tax, too. For example, you can get Childcare Vouchers or opt in to the Pension Salary Exchange, which lets you rearrange the way you make pension contributions. Salary Exchange was introduced in October 2011 and, from this April, you can make changes to your existing Salary Exchange choices or apply for benefits if you missed the opportunity first time round. If you’d like to apply or amend your Salary Exchange benefits, you can do so between 6 February and 2 March by visiting the M&S extras website… www. mands-extras.co.uk

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30/1/12 21:32:11

STA LET

HAPPY SHOPPER

Annabel Lee-Frost of Corporate Communications has been searching around the business for answers to your questions. Please keep sending your letters to the address on p3 28 | YOUR M&S

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PEOPLE

STAR R LETTE

Online shopping is growing at a terrific rate in our business and I use the M&S site frequently myself for different purchases as it’s so convenient. It’s really handy to have goods delivered to the store where I work if, for example, there is an item of clothing that we don’t stock. The only thing that I have found different when buying goods online is that there is no option to request a gift receipt. Is there any plan to introduce this as an option when shopping online? I’m sure many of our customers would also find it a useful addition, particularly when goods are being purchased as a present. Lorna Hutton Silverburn, Glasgow You’re absolutely right, Lorna – online and mobile shopping is one of our really big focus areas. More than three million people visit our website every week! You have made a really good point about gift receipts. In fact, the team has agreed it needs to be included as a requirement – so watch this space.

As many of my colleagues will surely agree, one of the most common remarks from customers at the till point when asked if they need a bag is that they have left their bags in the car. Usually, they have to buy another. A simple way to help could be a poster or sign of some kind at the entrance to stores (especially at retail parks) asking customers whether they have remembered to bring their bags from the car, so that

they can nip back for them and not have to buy replacements at the till. I know some customers who forget their bags on a regular basis and a small prompt could be helpful. Peter Brown, Parc Trostre Thank you for your idea, and we totally agree. Our customers could always use a gentle reminder to take their Bags for Life with them from the car. We have been adding large Bag for Life signs to the sides of the trolley shelters in all new retail park stores, which you may have already seen. We are also looking to update this to match the new Concept 11 foods graphic scheme, which should be rolled out to all stores very soon. So if you don’t already have them, you won’t have long to wait!

I am a new starter at Marks & Spencer in Norwich – one of 70 or so recruited for this store alone during the Christmas period and I expect similar recruitment goes on across your stores throughout the country and smaller volumes throughout the year. I understand that in due course each new employee receives a letter giving details of their online employee discount code if they wish to shop online. My suggestion is, why not put the employee discount code in the message space on the employee’s first electronic payslip? This would save paper and time, be more secure and follow our Plan A aims. Carol Patrick, Norwich We are really keen to make it as easy as possible for all of

our employees to beneﬁt from their 20% discount while shopping online, and your great suggestion highlights how we can use our People System to help do this. Currently, online discount codes are sent to new employees’ home addresses on recycled paper within a couple of weeks of joining the company, but to move this online will really help drive our Plan A commitments and encourage people to shop. There are a few systems that we need to look into ﬁrst, but thanks to your suggestion, new starters will hopefully be able to access their online discount code on the People System very soon!

When customers are paying with paper gift vouchers, they are sometimes left with a few pence to spend that, since the tills were updated, have to be put on a gift card. This seems a waste of money and not very Plan A. Can we have the facility to give them cash under £1? Edith Hays Ashton under Lyne

I would like to suggest a new idea for our gift card range. My daughter is at university and, like most students, struggling to be able to afford to feed herself properly. Every other week I post her a gift card so that she can buy some quality M&S food. However, sending what is the equivalent of cash in the post has the potential of getting lost. My idea is for M&S to create a top-up card and a spending card – allowing for the parent/guardian to

top up and the student / child to spend the money, regardless of where they live. A lot of our customers have children who live away from home and I think this could be an excellent way for parents to help out in a safer, more efficient way. Sue Scott, Southport To have one great suggestion about our gift cards and vouchers is terriﬁc... but this time we have two! Edith’s customer-focused idea about whether we can give small change as cash rather than on a gift card is a super idea in principle, but does have a few technical system hurdles. Sue’s idea for a top-up gift card has given the team lots of food for thought and we’re thinking about ways to develop it.

we offer 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. Send your letters to the address on p3 of this magazine. *Letters may be edited for publication.

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Bon retour... welcome back!

M&S has ofﬁcially returned to France with the long-awaited opening of our ﬂagship store on the Champs-Elysées

Yes, we’re real at the heart of ly here the French ca pital!

rowds of customers queued outside the new M&S ﬂagship store on Paris’ premier shopping street for our eagerly awaited return to France. In fact, such was the horde of people that French police even came to investigate. LE WEB

The opening of the store in November 2011 was the next step in the ‘bricks and clicks’ strategy, which saw our ﬁrst international website – www.marksandspencer.fr – unveiled in October. The site will allow customers throughout France to order products in their own language and currency.

Happy customers, Parisian style

MORE STORES TO COME IN PARIS

In addition to the Champs-Elysées ﬂagship store, which offers womenswear, lingerie and a specially selected range of food, more stores will open in Paris in 2012 and 2013. These will be located at So Ouest, Beaugrenelle and Aeroville. A search for suitable Simply Food locations continues. A new French head ofﬁce has also been established to oversee the exciting developments.

Marc Bolland, CEO ‘We’re delighted to be returning to France with our new store at the heart of Paris. We’ve had numerous requests from consumers in France for our food and clothing, so we’re pleased to be coming back to serve French customers once again. We’re really looking forward to welcoming customers to the store.’ Véronique Lacom, Store Manager (left) ‘Everyone has been

raph Autogteley h t i w i lland n-Wh arc BoHuntingto M O E e C Rosi model

phenomenal – from styling and sourcing to operations and merchandising. It’s been all about team work and team spirit. That’s why the opening was so emotional. The French market has missed M&S and they are so pleased we are back. We are creating jobs, too. This store is a great example of Concept 11 working in a relatively small store and creating a boutique feel. The ChampsElysées is a good example of how we’ve succeeded.’

2nd

biggest in-store Autograph sales in the business after week one

Catherine Desmottes, customer (above right) ‘I have always been faithful to M&S. I am an old customer from when there was a store on Boulevard Haussmann and it is superb M&S is back.’ Andrew Crooks, Country Manager for France (left) ‘The reaction has been amazing. The French want products

20,000 30 | YOUR M&S

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customers at M&S on the ﬁrst three days

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M&S WORLD

100

million visitors come to the ChampsElysées every year

100

Avenue des Champs-Elysées

CEO crowdMarc Bolla n s som e delic d gives th ious M e waiti n &S tr eats g

omers, n style

of e on one ts nt façad The elega ost famous stree ’s m the world

Locals show our classic qtheir delight at uality produ cts

500

new jobs expected to be created with our new stores planned in Paris

that are typically British, that you can’t buy anywhere else in Paris. Shortbread, scones, mufﬁns, crumpets, tea cakes, Welsh cakes, cheddar cheese, chicken tikka, sausages and Percy Pigs are all performing really well. Customers have been asking when, when, when will we have a dedicated food store?’ Jean-Claude Empeigne, Customer Assistant (left) ‘I worked for M&S when it opened its ﬁrst store on Boulevard

Haussmann in 1975. M&S is part of my life and I came out of retirement to work here again! My son, Thomas, works here at the weekends, too. The customers have been so welcoming.’ Stephanie Amico, Section Manager, Womenswear (right) ‘We’re getting great feedback. Customers have been waiting ten years for us, which explains the queues outside! The sales ﬁgures are very positive. Our cashmere is popular and

hours trading a week

customers are talking about the great value. In Paris, in winter, women’s fashion is usually grey, black and brown and the customers love the colours and vibrancy of our brands. It’s been so exciting to be involved in the launch. All of the employees here are from different backgrounds and we’ve never experienced an opening like this from such a big company. It’s something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.’

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YOUR BREAK Sit back, relax and play these games

Criss cross

Sudoku

6 letters BUBBLY HEARTS MOTHER PARCEL SLUSHY

See if you can ﬁt all of these Valentine’s and Mother’s Day words into the criss cross grid, reading across and down.

3 letters DAY MAN MUM SHY 4 letters KEEN

5 letters CARDS DATES LOVER ROMEO TREAT

7 letters ROMANCE 8 letters DELIVERY 9 letters VALENTINE

9 1

3 6 4

Enjoy

4 8 5 7 6

5 8 8 2 6 2 9 5 6 2 3 1 1 8 3 6 8 1

Why not try this simple sudoku for a quick lunchtime brain workout? Good luck.

HOW TO PLAY Fill in the grid so that the numbers 1 to 9, inclusive, are in every row, every column and every 3x3 box.

PRIZE DRAW Win Ragdale Hall spa products

The weather outside is wintry and summer is still a distant dream, so we’re cheering you up with a collection of luxurious Ragdale Hall spa products. With our Gentle Cleansing Spa Hand Wash, Refreshing Spa Shower Gel and Mother If you’d like to of Pearl Spa Sugar Scrub, be in with a chance you can treat yourself and of winning these help us celebrate the launch of M&S’s brand pampering prizes, email new spa range at the us your name, store same time. There will or office details by be five lucky winners. Terms & conditions Entries must be received by 23:59 on 1 March 2012. 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. Five winners will be drawn at random on 5 March 2012 under the supervision of an independent person. The prize is non-transferable, non-refundable, subject to availability and there is no cash alternative. The winners will be notified by 9 March 2012 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 winners 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 winners will be available by sending a stamped addressed envelope to YOUR M&S Magazine at the M&S Head 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.

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1 March 2012. Our email address is on p3. Finally, good luck!

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