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The Evolution of Marks and Spencer

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  • Gary Davies

Abstract

Financial data drawn from Marks and Spencer's archives and annual reports is used to identify five phases in the Company' sales growth. Early, rather erratic, growth, often through acquisition, gave way to a second phase of store development funded by the Company's floatation in the 1920s. Sales growth in the third phase came substanriveljl through an increase in store size. A fourth phase involved irnprovernerzts in labour and space productivity. The final and current phase of evolution emphasises divers(fication. The pattern of evolution is compared with two theories of retail change, the Wheel of Retailing and the Retail Accordion. Neither is compatible with the sustained growth exhibited, indeed both theories could be said to predict the failure of the Company's overall strategy.

Suggested Citation

  • Gary Davies, 1999. "The Evolution of Marks and Spencer," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 60-73, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:servic:v:19:y:1999:i:3:p:60-73
    DOI: 10.1080/02642069900000030
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    Cited by:

    1. Federica Ceci & Francesca Masciarelli & Andrea Prencipe, 2016. "Changes in Organizational Architecture: Aspiration Levels, Performance Gaps and Organizational Change," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 13(01), pages 1-21, February.
    2. John Pal & Dominic Medway & John Byrom, 2006. "Analysing retail failure from an historical perspective: A case study of A. Goldberg & Sons plc," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(5), pages 513-535, July.

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