Strategic Analysis of Marks and Spencer in South West

Marks and Spencer is one of UK's leading retailers of clothes, food, home products and financial services, with 15 million customers visiting its sores each week. M&S employ 65,000 people in 399 UK stores and offices. It also has a growing business including international business in the republic of Ireland and Hong Kong, and US etc. In last five years, M&S has focused on its energies on its core domestic business, selling off most of its foreign stores. According to the BBC NEWS (2006), Marks and Spencer is going to sell its US supermarket business to a private equity Consortium for $ 61.5 million.

From Wikipedia (2006), it is probably the most iconic chain store in the UK and it is the largest clothing retailer in the UK by turnover. M&S has a record of success and profitability since its establishment with well known reputation for its innovative, quality products and reasonable price which offers customers value for their money.

Illustration of Porters 5 Forces. Illustrates arti...

English: Logo of Marks & Spencer

English: Marks and Spencer in Wetherby

It is the customers' favourite store in the UK, it allocates all over the country, in London, East, the South East and the South West. However, M&S sales and services have been declined in mid to late 1990s. M&S started to review its performance and strategy, it experienced the adjustment of top management and rapid change strategy over last five years. Now, it is continuing to recovery and makes progress.

In this essay, it focuses on the Marks and Spencer's strategy in South West. The external environment analysis is concerned with the forces and factors that impact on M&S. however, analysing those forces and factors will assist M&S in identifying the change in the environment, is often referred to as the macro-environment, planning in how to cope with such a change, and being ahead of the competitors in the...