House of brands
According to internal sources, Bolland is considering several niche fashion retailers, although it would be the very first time external brands would be incorporated into Marks & Spencer’s fashion division. Those same sources indicate that brands like The White Company, a luxury brand that sells both fashion and interior design items, are a possible acquisition target.
If successful, the acquired brands would basically become a “house of brands”, which should help lure women back to the stores, which in turn should have a positive effect on the sales of its own brands, like Autograph and Per Una.
It remains to be seen whether Bolland’s plan can get the approval of the board of directors as Marks & Spencer has just implemented Steve Rowe’s new clothing strategy. Rowe is the company’s new head of the clothing and interior design division.
The company has tried to turn things around for its clothing division – particularly its women’s clothing – for quite a while now, as that division’s turnover keeps dwindling year after year.
