Who is the CEO of M&S?

M&S is a staple of the British high street. Its shelves are stocked with a range of food, clothing and home products that are known for their signature quality. In recent years, the brand has focused on a strategy of global growth that has taken it into international markets that are worlds away from its Yorkshire roots.

Over the years, M&S own brand products have gained a reputation for being of a premium quality, using only the best ingredients and materials. In more recent years, these items have been joined on the shelf by a selection of branded family favourites that meet the M&S standard – such as Heinz and Gordon’s Gin.

But M&S also has its own diverse portfolio of brands that it stocks in its stores across its food, clothing and home ranges. Many of these have grown to become household names, such as Per Una, Blue Harbour and North Coast. Following the trend of many other supermarket chains, M&S has introduced itself to a number of new sectors by launching its M&S Bank and M&S Energy sub-brands.

From being the first retailer to source only Fairtrade coffee in its Cafés to promising 100 per cent of its cotton will be sustainably sourced by April 2019, M&S has always prided itself on being an ethical retailer. The brand has launched a comprehensive set of sustainability goals that it aims to achieve by 2025, which includes reducing its food wastage and increasing the amount of recyclable material it uses in its clothing ranges.

Read more:

• Who is the CEO of Greggs?
• CEO of Wagamama – Meet the Boss
• Costa Coffee CEO – Who is it?
• Who is the CEO of Boots?

M&S now has over 400 stores across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, making it one of Britain’s most successful and internationally renowned retailers. The brand has partnered with a number of international franchise groups in regions around the world, ensuring that each franchise store is tailored towards the demands of local markets.

The M&S Story

Back in 1884, Marks & Spencer began as a market stall in Leeds owned by Polish refugee Michael Marks. Fast forward 45 years and Marks and Spencer had become a full-fledged network of department stores selling food and clothing. In 1975 the retailer began its journey of global expansion by opening its first continental stores in France and Belgium.

The turn of the century brought with it the new challenge of online retail. Keen to capitalise on this new market, M&S introduced online shopping onto its website in 1999 and started delivering its fashion range directly to customers’ doorsteps. The early 2000s also saw the growth of the retailer’s fashion portfolio, with the introduction of the men’s Blue Harbour range and the Limited Collection.

As an early supporter of the Fairtrade movement, M&S made moves from 2004 to ensure that it was producing a conscientious product. Alongside the introduction of Fairtrade coffees and teas – both in its cafés and on its shelves – it also launched a successful ‘Look behind the label’ campaign, which encouraged customers to be more aware of the materials used in the products they buy and where they came from.

New M&S CEO

The CEO of M&S is Steve Rowe. Ever since joining the company back in 1989, Steve has risen up the ranks of the company hierarchy. Beginning in store management, he took the step up to Head Office in 1998 where he worked under a number of different titles before securing the top job. After four years working as Director of Home from 2004, Steve joined the senior Executive Committee and later the company Board in 2012.

Just before becoming CEO in 2016, he had been working as Executive Director of General Merchandise. He had also been sent to Harvard for a global strategic management course by the M&S senior team before accepting his new role.

Steve’s career is living proof that you don’t need to go to university to have a successful career in business. At 15 years of age, he started off with the company by working Saturday shifts at its Croydon store in South London. By doing so he was following the example of his father, who was a director at M&S until 2000.

Email Address for M&S CEO

Steve Rowe can apparently be contacted via email at steve.rowe@marks-and-spencer.com. That being said, getting a response from CEOs of high-profile international companies over email can be difficult. They’re inherently time-spent individuals, and you have to consider things from their perspective.

With that considered, it may be more advantageous for you to try and connect with Steve on his LinkedIn profile.

Does M&S Franchise?

Yes. M&S has a number of franchise partners in the UK and overseas. At home, these include the likes of BP – who host M&S Simply Food stores in their garage forecourts – and SSP UK, who operate the same stores in British railway stations, hospitals and airports.

Across Europe and all over the globe, M&S has developed an impressive network of franchisees who have opened stores in countries ranging from Cyprus to Indonesia. One of the largest includes Alhokair Fashion Retail, the Middle East and Central Asia’s largest franchise retailer, which is a company that has also partnered with Gap, Zara and Costa.

M&S only franchises with companies that have an established portfolio of clients. These are usually corporate partners who can meet the material and organisational demands of opening a new M&S store. With this considered, it is unlikely that you could open a M&S franchise unless you are a company that has accumulated years of experience in retail.

On top of this, in the last few years, M&S has begun to slowly shrink its international network of stores. Due to a decline in sales in its fashion lines, the company has recently named 17 UK stores that it plans to close in the near future. That being said, it’s mission to cut costs has also resulted in corporate owned stores being sold off to franchise partners; the company sold 27 of its stores in Hong Kong and Macau to franchise partner Al-Futtaim.