Marks & Spencer has announced that it plans to completely overhaul the company's stores in line with the new Lifestore housewares shops. One of the goals will be to build walls separating different departments within the stores, eliminating the free flow now employed by the stores.
The Guardian reports that the effort is being spearheaded by Vittorio Radice, who told the paper that "we do not have a retail environment for the year 2010. The biggest problem is the adjacencies - selling bras next to bananas. So we will build walls, with doors, to break them up."
Radice also said that there remains some resistance to his views within the company. "Some people here refuse to recognize that the formula which worked 20 years ago is not right for now. We need to improve."
In addition, Radice said he wants to expand M&S's Simply Food chain of stores onto the European continent.
The Guardian reports that the effort is being spearheaded by Vittorio Radice, who told the paper that "we do not have a retail environment for the year 2010. The biggest problem is the adjacencies - selling bras next to bananas. So we will build walls, with doors, to break them up."
Radice also said that there remains some resistance to his views within the company. "Some people here refuse to recognize that the formula which worked 20 years ago is not right for now. We need to improve."
In addition, Radice said he wants to expand M&S's Simply Food chain of stores onto the European continent.
- KC's View:
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It sounds like Marks & Spencer realizes that to survive against the likes of Tesco and Asda, not to mention a possibly revitalized Morrison-Safeway combo, it has to make dramatic moves.
Won't be easy. But nobody ever said it would be.
