Conference Presentations by Jessica Gray
The paper explores how far Marks and Spencer’s store development resonated with their wider comme... more The paper explores how far Marks and Spencer’s store development resonated with their wider commercial image. The paper is structured around a specific appraisal of Marks and Spencer’s engagement with debates surrounding out-of-town store provision. It addresses the Company’s discussion of its own store development and its outspoken support for retailing in British town centres and high street shopping. The piece suggests that Marks and Spencer’s sense of itself as a retailer, and its relationship to the consumer, greatly influenced their rhetoric on this topic.
The British Town Centre has long been the battlefield for a mosaic of competing agendas which hav... more The British Town Centre has long been the battlefield for a mosaic of competing agendas which have sought to construct the urban landscape in their own image. This was never more true than in the 1970s and 1980s as the excesses of the 1960s gave renewed buoyancy to a conservation movement which sought to stem the perceived flow of architectural destruction and homogenisation, wrought in the previous decades. The exigencies of those calling for greater conservation were met and underpinned by growing popular awareness, greater legislative provision and a more amenable planning climate. Nevertheless, this period also saw a growing clamour for greater retail provision and an ever increasing pressure amongst retailers for bigger stores, with greater accessibility. The seemingly divergent claims on town centres made by these two agendas gave rise to a complex and multifaceted dynamic, which did much to shape the town centre landscape at this time. The demands of retailers have been well documented (Guy, 1994: 2007; Schiller, 2001) and the nature of the conservation movement much debated (Pendlebury, 2009; Delafons 1997). The relationship between conservation and retailing, has received relatively less attention. Where it has been addressed, it has at times remained a footnote to wider efforts to chart the changing character of the conservation movement (Larkham, 1996; Glendinning, 2013) or maintained a specific geographical focus (Larkham & Pompa, 1989). The present paper seeks to develop a greater understanding of the relationship between conservation and retailing and the extent to which they influenced each other, as well as the factors inherent in shaping such an association. The paper will address the actions of retailers, particularly those of Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury’s, with regards to conservation, by exploring a number of their store development projects and the degree to which they were influenced by wider trends. In particular, the paper will explore the changing impetus given to town centres in the wake of out-of-town retail development and the degree to which planning restrictions on decentralised retailing, limited space in town centres and a desire to be seen to be environmentally sensitive in light of growing popular awareness, ensured that retailers became the unlikely agents of conservation. There will also be an assessment as to how far the conservation agenda benefited from such a fraternisation. It will be argued that whilst the connection between retailing and the seeming ideals of conservation asked a number of searching questions of the conservation movement, it is clear that such a dialogue was the product of a growing awareness that the physical and economic character of a town were irrevocably interdependent. The paper is based on extensive research within the Marks and Spencer Company Archive and the Sainsbury Archive, as well as published sources produced by organisations such as English Heritage, Groundwork and the Planner’s Association. The research is part of a broader investigation into the effects of growing environmental awareness and resource concern on Marks and Spencer as a mainstream retail, to be submitted in 2015.
Thesis Chapters by Jessica Gray
The research addresses a central tension of modern society between materialism and retail expansi... more The research addresses a central tension of modern society between materialism and retail expansion on the one hand and growing environmental awareness on the other, during the 1970s and 1980s. It does so through a study of the operations of Marks and Spencer, with comparative reference to other leading retailers, principally Sainsbury’s and the John Lewis Partnership.
Marks and Spencer experienced a complex renegotiation of its relationship with the environment and resource use as it underwent rapid expansion and changes in the period 1968-1992. This has yet to be addressed by academics, especially in relation to the notable growth in environmental concern at this time. It is this changing retail context, as experienced by Marks and Spencer, coupled with the evolving significance of the broader environmental agenda, which this thesis addresses. It makes extensive use of the Marks and Spencer Company Archive to address the importance of the company’s changing commercial operations, its relationship with consumers, the government and British society more broadly, in shaping its approach to the environment and resource use.
The thesis contributes to existing academic literature concerning retailing and the environment by illustrating the extent to which the environment was a highly constructed and negotiated retail concern, which invariably predated the environmental fervour of the late eighties and early nineties and the subsequent commercial clamour to be seen to be green. The research addresses Marks and Spencer’s response to environmental issues, its energy conservation efforts, its retail store development, as well as the internal and external environments of its stores. It shows how the relationship between retailers and the environment was shaped as much by the outlook and operations of individual retailers and the changing nature of modern retailing, as it was the wider environmental agenda and growing popular concern.
Uploads
Conference Presentations by Jessica Gray
Thesis Chapters by Jessica Gray
Marks and Spencer experienced a complex renegotiation of its relationship with the environment and resource use as it underwent rapid expansion and changes in the period 1968-1992. This has yet to be addressed by academics, especially in relation to the notable growth in environmental concern at this time. It is this changing retail context, as experienced by Marks and Spencer, coupled with the evolving significance of the broader environmental agenda, which this thesis addresses. It makes extensive use of the Marks and Spencer Company Archive to address the importance of the company’s changing commercial operations, its relationship with consumers, the government and British society more broadly, in shaping its approach to the environment and resource use.
The thesis contributes to existing academic literature concerning retailing and the environment by illustrating the extent to which the environment was a highly constructed and negotiated retail concern, which invariably predated the environmental fervour of the late eighties and early nineties and the subsequent commercial clamour to be seen to be green. The research addresses Marks and Spencer’s response to environmental issues, its energy conservation efforts, its retail store development, as well as the internal and external environments of its stores. It shows how the relationship between retailers and the environment was shaped as much by the outlook and operations of individual retailers and the changing nature of modern retailing, as it was the wider environmental agenda and growing popular concern.
Marks and Spencer experienced a complex renegotiation of its relationship with the environment and resource use as it underwent rapid expansion and changes in the period 1968-1992. This has yet to be addressed by academics, especially in relation to the notable growth in environmental concern at this time. It is this changing retail context, as experienced by Marks and Spencer, coupled with the evolving significance of the broader environmental agenda, which this thesis addresses. It makes extensive use of the Marks and Spencer Company Archive to address the importance of the company’s changing commercial operations, its relationship with consumers, the government and British society more broadly, in shaping its approach to the environment and resource use.
The thesis contributes to existing academic literature concerning retailing and the environment by illustrating the extent to which the environment was a highly constructed and negotiated retail concern, which invariably predated the environmental fervour of the late eighties and early nineties and the subsequent commercial clamour to be seen to be green. The research addresses Marks and Spencer’s response to environmental issues, its energy conservation efforts, its retail store development, as well as the internal and external environments of its stores. It shows how the relationship between retailers and the environment was shaped as much by the outlook and operations of individual retailers and the changing nature of modern retailing, as it was the wider environmental agenda and growing popular concern.