Men at Marks

By Tom Geoghegan
BBC News Magazine

Men at M&S...often overlooked

Marks and Spencer, for so long the iconic British shop, is having a tough time, as their full-year results indicate. But while much of the analysis will focus on its large female custom, its menswear has been holding its own. Why?

Everyone knows M&S underwear is legendary. Have an undies confessional in any office and the chances are Marks get top marks.

Similarly, the importance of its female clientele to its overall performance is often discussed. But what is less well known is that while women have been turning their back on the famous brand, the men have been keeping the faith.

M&S do not break down their sales figures and - as the latest results showed clothing sales down 3.1% - chief executive Stuart Rose would only say that "menswear held up well". Some analysts estimate it has been growing slightly while women's and children's have been losing sales.

Menswear is probably the one area that's managed to hold its own Maureen Hinton Retail analyst

Although the men's market is less fashion-driven than the women's, there was some evidence M&S was shedding its conservative image. A men's branch in Handforth Dean in Wilmslow was voted by FHM readers as one of the most fashionable in the country, after David Beckham once left with two trolleys full.

But no retail appraisal would be complete without seeing the goods first-hand, so I paid a visit to the Marble Arch flagship store to check them out. Entering the building made me think of either Christmas shopping for parents or buying underwear for myself.

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But I'm at that age, 32, at which I might be expected to be starting to take an interest in M&S and leaving Zara, H&M and TopMan to the youngsters. The M&S male market ranges from 25 to 65+, but its core market is 40+, so it's time to grow up, I told myself at the top of the escalators.

Cool Dads

Expecting a bland sea of greys and browns, I was greeted by a colourful flourish of polo shirts and casual shirts in the Blue Harbour display.

This is a good start - polos are all the rage in Zara etc, but these pinks, oranges and yellows are aimed at Cool Dads who dress with their son's approval. They're classic lines, without the direction or whim of younger shops.

The marketing is aimed at dads with style

"Nice one, dad" is the slogan strewn on clothing rails around the department and sure enough, the shoppers are mostly 40 and above. There are also middle-aged women doing the honours for partners who prefer to bow to the feminine taste.

Blue Harbour is a successful sub-brand the company created for its casual wear and it has virtually its own department. Much of it is too middle-of-the-road for my taste, although there are some great linen shirts in all colours for about £30.

Most of the formal wear, in which M&S is a market leader, comes under its other strong brand, the faux-Italian sounding Collezione.

There's more here to catch my eye, including suede jackets for £69 and well-tailored suits with terrific detail. Throw in a tie and the office outfit is sorted.

You get dragged into Marks and Spencer until you're 13 and go back in when you've your own children or you're buying underwear Tony Shiret Retail analyst

Popping next-door to the M&S arch-rival, Next, there's a similar tone but with a direct overture to the younger customer - ripped jeans, shredded belts and baseball caps - which is a market M&S seems to ignore.

This is a brave approach, given that younger men spend more because they replace clothes quicker as fashions change. And it is unusual in comparison to Next, Burton and other High Street stores.

"You get dragged into Marks and Spencer until you're 13 and go back in when you've your own children or you're buying underwear," says Tony Shiret, retail analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston. "So in your teenage years, you don't tend to be there very much."

But this strategy seems to be paying off, says Maureen Hinton, senior analyst at Verdict. She says: "We estimate menswear has been growing but children and womenswear have been declining. It's probably the one area that's managed to hold its own. I think it's because it's a good and quite strong authority for men. They're trusted and thought of as good quality."

Office outfits are popular with 20 and 30-something men

Prices have fallen and product development is good, such as the washable suits, she adds, and in a more stable, less fashion-driven market than the women's, it has remained quite conservative. But competition is on the way in the shape of Moss Bros and smaller retailers like Ted Baker.

Mr Shiret says although the menswear hasn't been doing as badly as the women's, it's still not doing well. And whatever the reason for the weakness in womenswear, it is the men's which has historically been more susceptible to a slowdown on the High Street, so there could be tough times ahead.

The company has taken steps to make its menswear more appealing, some of which have backfired. A few years ago it began a process of "segmentation", creating eight sub-brands like Blue Harbour. But Mr Rose has pulled five of them, including SP and Viewfrom, to make it clearer for customers.

'Too stylish'

And in the last six months, they've become more competitive on price at the bottom end of the market and introduced multipack and multibuy offers.

Blue Harbour is part of the reason for the relative success of menswear, but there are other areas to improve on, says Richard Ratner, retail analyst at Seymour Pierce. For example, the suits are a bit too stylish for the over 50s and not as good as they used to be.

It's the suits and office outfits that attract the youngest shoppers, aged about 25, he says. And the underwear draws in the very oldest.

But in the face of ups and downs, and away from the headlines, it may be that one of the company's more reliable approaches is that dad's the word.