A Case Study of Marks and Spencer Lost China
A Case Study of Marks and Spencer Lost China
A Case Study of Marks and Spencer Lost China
Abstract It is no accident that Marks & Spencer lost the Chinese market. This paper will analyze the
reasons why Marks & Spencer failed to expand the Chinese market from five aspects: market environment,
strategy, market positioning, marketing strategy and site selection. Discuss the enlightenment that the case
brings to the enterprise in terms of culture, strategy, positioning and marketing. As a result, we found that
strategies for culture, strategy, positioning, and marketing play an important role in creating corporate
management strategies and competitive advantage. The results of this study are likely to be used as a very
Key Words : Marks & Spencer, Market environment, Strategy, Market positioning, Marketing strategy,
Case study
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요 약 마크스앤스펜서가 중국 시장을 잃은 것은 우연이 아니다. 이 논문은 Marks & Spencer가 시장 환경, 전
한다. 이를 통해 문화, 전략, 포지셔닝, 마케팅 측면에서 이러한 전략이 기업에게 가져다주는 시사점에 대해 논의하고자
한다. 분석결과, 문화, 전략, 포지셔닝, 마케팅 차원에서의 전략이 기업의 경영전략 및 경쟁우위를 창출하는데 중요한 역
할을 한다는 사실을 발견하였다. 본 연구결과는 실무적인 차원에서 매우 유요한 가이드라인으로 활용 가능할 것으로 보
인다.
*
Corresponding Author : Seong-Taek Park(solpherd@naver.com)
Received April 25, 20187 Revised June 4, 2018
Accepted June 15, 2018 Published June 30, 2018
16 산업융합연구 제16권 제2호
Trust (Trust). In order to ensure the quality and When the store opened, the information released by
style of the goods, all products are made by their the company was described as “inheriting the
Their brands include women's wear (Autograph, the world”, and it was still the main color of the
per una, LIMITED COLLECTION, Portfolio, British rigorous, steady dark green and brick red.
CLASSIC), men's wear (Autograph, BLUE The store was bright and the shelves were open.
HARBOUR, collezione), underwear, shoes and It was very different from the counter-style sales
Its style is also suitable for people of all ages. In in the store were all self-branded products with
addition, they also provide home products from Marks & Spencer label.
bedding to photo frames, making them an ideal On November 8, 2011, the first Marks & Spencer
The food of Marks & Spencer is very good all 1-C, Li Wei Wanda Plaza, No. 178 Jufeng Road,
over the world. It includes a variety of sweets, Lisong District, with an area of 1,300 square
biscuits, breads, chocolates, ice creams, and spices meters. The store was the eleventh store of M&S
from the United Kingdom. They are pure in taste, in mainland China.
and the ingredients are strictly controlled to At that time, M&S said that Li Wei Wanda
maximize the absence of additives, so the shelf life Store not only provided Qingdao consumers with
of these foods is particularly short. Perhaps because the most fashionable autumn and winter collections
of this, the food of Marks & Spencer will be of this season, but also the brand's unique
called "the luxury of the food industry."[1-6] innovative technology would be presented to local
Marks & Spencer had seven stores in Shanghai the clothing that best suits their taste. At the same
and two stores in Changzhou. It also each has one time, the store would also offer more than 400
store in Ningbo, Jiangyin, Wenzhou, Suzhou, Wuhan quality foods including coffee, tea bags, cereals,
and Qingdao. Marks & Spencer had opened 15 honey, candies, chocolates, biscuits, canned foods,
In 2008, Marks & Spencer officially entered the M&S wines from around the world and so on.
Chinese mainland market and opened its first store On November 22, 2012, Marks & Spencer
in Shanghai, the flagship store of Nanjing West officially appeared in Wanda Plaza in Jiangyin,
Road. This Nanjing West Road flagship store was Wuxi. The store was the first store for Jiangyin
located in one of the most prosperous areas in and the 12th store in mainland China, covering an
It was said to be the largest store in Marks & high-quality clothing, but also had a variety of
Spencer in Asia, with a total area of 3,800 square specialty foods to provide a one-stop shopping
meters, a total of 4 floors, 1st and 2nd floors for experience for all families.
women's wear, 3 floors for men's wear, 4 The On September 28, 2013, Marks & Spencer opened
floor is for children's wear and food, coffee shop. its doors in front of the traditional business district
A Case Study of Marks and Spencer lost China 17
of Suzhou. Its first flagship store in Suzhou was and Global Harbor Stores were officially closed.
located in No. 1 Shopping Center, with 3 floors. Before the closure of the three stores and the
M&S's food and coffee business also opened at the closure of the stores, meant that Marks & Spencer
After Marks & Spencer announced its new On February 27, 2017, China Investment Advisory
strategic plan in March 2015, Marks & Spencer's Network reported that Marks & Spencer closed all
18, 2015. Marks & Spencer had been groping for nine
The store was located in Beijing World Trade years in the Chinese market and ended up defeating
Center Shopping Mall, covering an area of 1,500 the Chinese mainland market.
and children's wear, there was also a 120 square 3. Case Analysis
meter food area offering more than 1,200 foods and
Spencer, Marks & Spencer Changzhou Xinbei environmental errors of Marks & Spencer's entry
Wanda Store and Wuxi Jiangyin Wanda Store were into the Chinese market were mainly reflected in
closed on March 9, 2015. Shanghai Jiading Jiangqiao the lack of understanding of social culture.
Wanda Store, Wenzhou Longwan Wanda Store and In the process of internationalization of Marks &
Changzhou Wuyue Plaza Store would be closed Spencer, it had been copying its own brand
from March to August 2015. business model in foreign markets. Before entering
Until November 8, 2016, Marks & Spencer the Chinese market, it did not investigate or fully
announced that it would withdraw from 10 understand the characteristics of the consumer
The 10 shops were located in Shanghai Baoshan consumers to make the Chinese market.
Wanda Plaza, Shanghai Admiralty Square, Suzhou Generally speaking, whether it is a European or
Guanqian Street, Qingdao Lisong Wanda Plaza, American brand or a Japanese-Korean brand, all
Shanghai Nanjing West Road, Shanghai Xinzhuang outstanding developments will adjust the product
Zhongsheng, Wuhan Han Street, Shanghai style in time to enter the Chinese market to adapt
Wujiaochang Wanda, Shanghai Yuexing Global to the taste of Chinese consumers. However, Marks
Harbor and Beijing World Trade Day. & Spencer's own brand directly followed the
Subsequently, on March 19, 2017, only one year popular style of the British market from the style,
after the opening of the World Trade Center in did not localize its products, and did not design
Beijing, Masa Store officially closed. At the same products according to the Asian body.
time in March 2017, Shanghai Wujiaochang Wanda There was a serious lack of innovation in the
Store and Xinzhuang Zhongsheng Store announced Chinese market, and the in-store category was all
the official closing of the store. in English, and there was no corresponding Chinese.
On April 1, 2017, Marks & Spencer China The products were not adapted to the actual
Shanghai Nanjing West Road, Huaihai Middle Road, situation in the Chinese market, nor can they met
18 산업융합연구 제16권 제2호
the needs of Chinese consumers. “negative textbook ” for retail companies in China.
The facts also proved that Chinese consumers Recommendation: Once a company decides to
generally did not accept it. Although Marks & enter a certain market, its layout strategy can often
Spencer had been developing in China for many refer to the experience of some similar companies,
years, it was still difficult to enter the mainstream. and regardless of the actual innovation, it may pay
Today, many people are still unfamiliar with the a painful price.
country in which they are entering the target obviously attract people by eating and drinking, but
market, before entering China, Marks & Spencer let the wearer play the leading role. Compared with
should estimate the market size of China or a clothing, foods in Marks & Spencer's main business
specific region, familiarize with the local social and account for a larger proportion of its income
and legal environment. Based on this, the company In recent years, its food revenues have continued
Mistakes in the strategic guidance and choice of sound image appealing quickly caught the attention
Marks & Spencer's presence in the Chinese market of the audience and won praises from many people
are also one of the main reasons for Marks & on the Internet.
Spencer's defeat in the Chinese market. That There are also a variety of delicious cakes that
mainly reflected in the layout strategy and product Marks & Spencer offers, and they are among the
Generally speaking, foreign-owned department Instead, the clothing was used as a breakthrough
stores in China open a store, first of all, choose a to try to open the market, but whether it was
city with a higher degree of internationalization, layout or display, it did not take care of it, and the
such as Shanghai or Shenzhen, where they can customer experience was very poor. In the aspect of
stand firm and consider a city with a high degree clothing, high-end foreign style, Marks & Spencer's
of integration between tradition and design was not as luxurious as it was; on the
internationalization, such as Beijing or Guangzhou. fashion trend, it was not as cheap as the fast
Hangzhou, Wuhan, Shenyang, Xi'an, Chengdu, etc., Recommendation: In the selection of product
step by step. It is very dangerous for Marks & series, we must fully consider the preferences of
Spencer's strategy to lay out second- and third-tier the target market and target consumer groups, and
cities in the first-tier cities without a firm foothold. choose to focus on developing business according to
3.3.1 Wrong Choice of Target Consumer Group were a little different. “Old-fashioned!” is the
Marks & Spencer was targeting middle-class evaluation of many people in China after 80s and
consumers aged 35 and older, who believed they The products of Marks & Spencer had no ZARA
have gradually recognized Western goods. However, fashion, no low price of H&M, no good material of
it was not known that the middle class of 35 years Uniqlo, and no Chinese people. The fate of Marks
old and above had experienced the test of the & Spencer can be imagined, and it is inevitable that
previous special historical period. the Chinese consumers who are asked to be higher
concept of “diligence and family” and prefer to Recommendation: The times are developing and
choose local brands for long-term use. The 18-34 people are changing. Marks & Spencer's products
age group is China's largest consumer group. and services are subject to change in the
Unlike people over the age of 35, they are more preferences of the Chinese consumer groups to cater
likely to accept and try new things, pursue and to the tastes of consumers.
capture the eyes of young urban consumers who Spencer to explore the Chinese market from four
had “existing consumer desires and income support”. aspects: product, price, channel and promotion[7-12,
Marks & Spencer maintained a British rigorous Marks & Spencer's merchandise follows the
and steady style in China, aimed to attract Chinese British native size label. Apparel does not change
middle class customers. But the reality had given a the S/M/L/XL familiar to Chinese consumers in
slap in the face of Marks & Spencer: 80s and 90s size, but continues to use the Eurocode labels 6, 8,
had not been interested in ordinary foreign goods, 10, and 12. Make a wrong decision because the
and they even thought that the things that Marks customer is unfamiliar with the size label.
& Spencer's department sells were not as good as These caused customers to complain that the size
domestic[13]. was too large and the satisfaction was low. Marks
Because the clothing of Marks & Spencer was & Spencer's clothing is based on the British model.
too serious and cautious, the color was mainly gray The British Caucasian body is generally larger
and brown, and its brand positioning and clothing than the Chinese yellow race. Therefore, when the
20 산업융합연구 제16권 제2호
goods were distributed in the Chinese market, the compare its products with the same type of
quantity of each type of clothing could be adjusted. products in China and draw up appropriate pricing.
Not to cause the large-size clothing on the Marks & Spencer can control certain necessary
shelves to be purchased, and the small-size clothes costs through local procurement, reduce the original
were out of stock for a long time. Small code price, and maintain a certain profit margin.
brand preference. The department stores’ own brand and initially ignored the network channel. With the
“St. Michael” is a mid-to-high-end product brand. growing popularity of online shopping and mobile
However, when Marks & Spencer's “St. Michael” customer experience in China,
brand had not been widely recognized in China, Taobao and Tmall have emerged as examples of
Marks & Spencer's adherence to a single brand successful online sales. In 2016, the scale of online
strategy was not conducive to opening the Chinese shopping transactions in China maintained steady
Recommendation: Marks & Spencer's should be More than 80% of consumers will rely on the
customer-oriented to change the size label of the Internet to search before purchasing goods, and
Marks & Spencer China market to a category 70% of customers will also use mobile devices in
The distribution model is biased towards small Marks & Spencer entered the Chinese market in
and medium-sized clothing to ensure that the small 2008, and only opened up network channels in 2012
and medium-sized clothing inventory is sufficient; to enter the Jingdong shopping platform.
large-size clothing does not press the warehouse. Recommendation: The Internet has become an
Marks & Spencer invited Chinese well-known important part of consumer life, so Internet sales
popularity of Marks & Spencer and opening the realize consumer interaction, but also build customer
The reputation of Marks & Spencer in the UK is precision marketing and customer loyalty. Paying
“good value for money, value for money”. Its attention to online sales channels can not only
product pricing is only a mid-end product for UK broaden the sales channels of its own brand “St.
customers, but not for Chinese consumers. Michael”, but also enhance its competitiveness.
market but its pricing could not be copied. The 3.4.4 Promotion
price of Marks & Spencer in the Chinese market In the department store industry, the main reason
must be in line with the target consumer's for Marks & Spencer's success is the business
consumption level. Pricing should be in line with model of its own brand. This has also been
the spending power of the Chinese middle class evaluated as a “magic weapon” for the success of
without squeezing their necessary share of spending. Marks & Spencer in many department store
But this "magic weapon" has failed in the Marks & Spencer's shops are generally
Chinese market. Marks & Spencer's lack of surrounded by fast fashion brands such as H&M,
marketing and publicity in China has made Chinese Bershka, Jack Jones, Vero Moda and Zara, and
In mainland China, it is rare to see the brought by Marks & Spencer's entry into the
advertisements that Marks & Spencer took the Chinese market is that many consumers mistakenly
initiative to attack. Instead, regular in-store believe that Marks & Spencer is another fast
promotions, as well as the most traditional email fashion brand. For the time being, regardless of the
marketing, and Weibo forwarding sweepstakes. Only fierce competition of fast fashion itself, Marks &
when the Beijing World Trade Tianjie flagship Spencer costumes have a thick and rigorous British
store opened, they only played outdoor and subway style, which is almost incompatible with fashion.
Recommendation: Adopt propaganda means for difference after comparing them with the fast
the Chinese market. Use the "star effect" to ask the fashion around them. In addition, being in the fast
celebrity endorsement. Chinese consumers have the fashion business circle will weaken the image of
inertia of blindly following the trend, and believe Marks & Spencer's department store[15,16].
huge potential spending power. China, it was affected by the external market
increase sales, but also quickly open up popularity, culture, and at the same time it fails because of the
and it will also help to reduce funds and reduce positive and reasonable reflection of Marks &
Marks & Spencer’s failure in China cannot be consumption by selecting the appropriate medium.
attributed solely to interference from the external Choose the more popular propaganda methods in the
environment. Mistakes in the strategic plan of target country, or open the popularity in the
Marks & Spencer in China could not make Marks shortest time by the media with a wider area.
Correct positioning is the key to marketing. reporting in Marks & Spencer annual reports,
Marks & Spencer blurs the positioning of her own 1978 – 2008. The British Accounting Review,
42(1), 56-70.
department store and is in the fast fashion business
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