Marks & Spencer has opened its new clothing and beauty boutique-style store at Battersea Power Station. The new store showcases the best of the high street giant’s fashion range for men and women (with an emphasis on its premium lines) as well as an edit of its beauty officer.
The store is located just a stone’s throw away from the M&S Battersea Power Station Foodhall, on the Ground Floor in Turbine Hall B.
The new 8,400 sq ft space is smaller than typical M&S stores, adding to the boutique feel. In an effort to access a more affluent customer base and take on high street rivals such as Zara and Mango, neon-lit areas to spotlight M&S’ premium offerings including Jaeger and Autograph.
Meanwhile, its beauty offer is now considered to be one of the best on the high street featuring a wide selection of its own brand ranges alongside major names including Nuxe, Philip Kingsley, Stila and much more.
Shoppers looking for style advice will be assisted by the 35-person team of Customer Experience Visual Stylists who are on hand to provide help with fittings and styling. Plus, for online shoppers, new Click & Collect points will be available for any online clothing, home and beauty orders.
The move comes amid a resurgence in the performance of Marks & Spencer’s fashion offer. Womenswear Director Maddy Evans (formerly of Topshop) and Clothing Chief Richard Price (formerly of Tesco) have been credited with injecting fashionability and better quality into the M&S fashion offer, as well as broadening its appeal to a wider age group. A recent collaboration with Sienna Miller, the face of its brand and a well-known style icon, was a big hit with customers, for instance.
Last week, M&S struck gold its Christmas menswear campaign featuring former TOWIE star Mark Wright and Made in Chelsea personality Spencer Matthews as best buddies. The campaign, which sees the stars dressed in Autograph menswear, received 12 million views and 250,000 likes.
The new store creates 35 jobs and comes as part of the retailer’s significant £30 million investment in its London, In May, the high street haven announced it was investing in its London store estate over the next year, creating 100 new jobs.
The retailer is revamping 12 existing shops in London as well as opening food halls in Sidcup and Friern Barnet this year.
