Your M&S: May/June 2013

The story behind Shwopping Our Plan A Ambassador Joanna Lumley travels to Senegal to see at first hand the results of our campaign

Alfresco dining

From BBQs to picnics, we show you how to do the great outdoors in style

Castle Donington

We take you behind the scenes of our new distribution centre

From vine to wine

An interview between an M&S Winemaker and an in-store Wine Hero

Keeping you in touch May / June 2013

Inside WEIGHTLOSS CHALLENGE: THE RESULTS

268

A total of 268 teams took part in our recent weight-loss challenge

Close-up

4

4 Introducing Hilary

We meet per una’s new fashion expert

5 In Touch

Customers send their praise

6 Father’s Day

The perfect presents for the man in your life

7 Three cheers

Employees thank each other

10 Food special

1,072

Those teams were made up of an incredible 1,072 people

Features

4

Collectively, the teams lost 4 tonnes in 4 weeks

13 Castle Donington

A look behind the scenes at our brand new distribution centre and some of the people who are at its heart

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The team who collectively shed the most weight were Wasting Away at Westfield, who lost 82lbs

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Team member John Couchman lost an amazing 32lbs

16 Summer’s here!

We help you get ready for warmer weather with a selection of swimwear

17 The story behind Shwopping

We bring you all the latest mouth-watering news

Magazine heroes

We couldn’t have created this issue of YOUR M&S without these colleagues

‘We’re all incredibly proud of what the Castle Donington team has managed to achieve.’

DAVID BARNES, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, CASTLE DONINGTON

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16

Read about Joanna Lumley’s trip to Senegal to visit the projects that Oxfam is supporting, thanks to you

22 Meet the experts

Jeneve Williams, an M&S Winemaker, chats to Rhoderick Henderson, one of our in-store Wine Heroes

24 Alfresco dining

Pack up a picnic basket and head out into the great outdoors. We show you how to do it M&S style

26 Your letters

‘It’s wonderful to see a focus on Winemakers and Wine Heroes – and all their hard work – in the magazine.’

ELIZABETH KELLY, WINE SPECIALIST, TRADING SUPPORT

Spotlighting your ideas, plus a chance to win some Walnut Whip goodies

‘It was a pleasure and a privilege hearing and sharing the stories of the people working at Castle Donington.’

SIAN WOODLEY, COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR, CASTLE DONINGTON

‘Meeting the people in Senegal who benefit from Shwopping showed that it really does work – so keep it up’

Hello!

Welcome...

SHWOPPING Turn to page 17 to read about Joanna’s trip to Senegal

24 Go online now!

Look out for the digital version of the YOUR M&S employee magazine. It has all of the fantastic stories from your regular magazine, plus some extra articles for you to read, enjoy and share with your colleagues.

See Today@M&S for details

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27

This is a very special issue of YOUR M&S as we bring you a behind-the-scenes look at Joanna Lumley’s trip to Senegal to find out what happens to the garments you have so dutifully Shwopped.

We think you’ll find it as inspirational as we did.

We also venture to Castle Donington to chat to some of the amazing people who are helping transform our GM supply chain and get it fit for future use.

And with summer just around the corner, what better way to spend time with loved ones than tucking into a picnic or BBQ together. Turn to page 24 for inspiration on what to eat and how to serve it.

CLARE GOULTY EDITOR, YOUR M&S

Contact

Picture credits

Clare Goulty, Editor – extn 183283 Internal email: Internal Communications External email: Internal.Communications2@ marks-and-spencer.com Post: Internal Communications, Marks & Spencer, Waterside House, UG East, 35 North Wharf Road, London W2 1NW

Other images this issue: Alun Callender, Hannah Edwards, Alex Ridley, Getty Images, Shutterstock

If you have an idea for a great news story, please ask your BIG rep to send it to us.

Cover photography: Linda Brownlee.

This magazine is printed on 50% recycled paper. Please do the right thing by passing it on to someone else or recycling it after you have read it.

Story to tell? Email Internal.Communications2@marks-a nd-spe ncer.com

BU S I N E S S

Dear colleagues...

It’s just over a year since we launched Shwopping and I want to thank you all for helping our customers to Shwop an incredible 3.8 million unwanted garments in our stores. To mark the campaign’s anniversary, we sent our Plan A Ambassador, Joanna Lumley, to Senegal to see how the contents of our pink and orange boxes are funding vital Oxfam projects there, as well as reducing the mountain of clothes going to waste in our landfills.

While doing the right thing is a constant in the way we work, we have four key commercial priorities for 2013/14: l Fixing womenswear – including regaining our reputation for outstanding quality and design.

You’ll read a lot more about this in our next edition l Driving up Food availability – and helping customers put more in their baskets l Launching and promoting our new website, M&S.com, in Spring 2014, which will become the flagship for M&S l Giving customers an inspiring shopping experience when they visit our stores.

Your Store Manager or Top 100 member should have briefed you already on these priorities so that you understand how you can get behind them. If they haven’t done so yet, please ask them to do so. We’ve an exciting year ahead of us and it’s important that everyone plays their part in it.

Marc Bolland, CEO

Here’s Hilary FA S H IO N

SPRING 201 3 HIL

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ARY ALEXAN DER

You may have already heard that we have recruited iconic fashion expert H IL A R Y ’S Hilary Alexander for the new role of per una Fashion Consultant. Hilary, a world-renowned journalist, was previously Fashion Director at the Daily Telegraph and is a firm fixture on the front row of the seasonal catwalk collections. As part of her role, Hilary selects key items, Do you h known as Hilary’s Edit, that ave a fas h dilemma you’d like ion can be shopped online and Hilary to solve?

V in stores. She also hosts a marksand isit social. sp weekly ‘Ask Hilary’ column, fashion-2 encer.com/ /intro which is published online, hilary-ale ducingxander/ where she draws on her wealth of fashion experience to offer advice and recommends the ideal solutions for any fashion conundrum that you might have.

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WO M E N S W E A R

HANDBAGS AT DAWN We love this gorgeous bag from Limited Collection. The Patent Satchel Bag (T83/6717L), which can be worn on the arm but also comes with a detachable shoulder strap, is priced at just £29.50.

For more summer accessories, look out for a special feature on the digital version of YOUR M&S. See Today@M&S for more details.

May / June 2013

05 YOUR M&S

News

SERV ICE

PL AN A

Smiles all round

Every day we receive emails and letters that demonstrate how M&S employees are In Touch with our customers.

Here’s a selection of the stories we loved

Georgie Haye (below left), from Eden High Wycombe store, would win the consistency award if we had one. She is always friendly and smiling and goes the extra mile with every customer. Georgie embodies ownership, accountability and knowledge and is the very definition of In Touch!

Piece of cake Lesley Campbell, from Leicester store, heard a customer talking about how she was nervous about picking a wedding cake. Lesley showed the customer our ready-to-buy cakes, and although she really

CHARITY SNAPSHOT

liked the look of them, she was wary as she hadn’t tasted it – so Lesley encouraged the customer to sample our cake quality by purchasing a smaller one. The customer returned the next day and ordered a £150 M&S wedding cake.

Some of the brilliant ways you’ve been raising money for others

The butterfly effect AS A PROUD PARTNER of Butterfly

Star treatment Marie O’Connor, from Gloucester store, helped a customer who was looking for an outfit to appear on a TV show. Marie assisted her every step of the way – from helping the customer pick the clothes from the shop floor, to selecting different sizes when she was trying on the clothes and serving her at the till.

Conservation, we will once again be encouraging employees and customers alike to take part in The Big Butterfly Count from 20 July to 11 August – a nationwide survey aimed at helping to assess the health of our environment. Launched in 2010, this event has rapidly become the world’s biggest survey of its kind. An impressive 25,500 people took part last year, counting 223,000 individual butterflies and day-flying moths across the UK. Find out more here: www.butterfly-conservation.org

Results just in

M&S takes gold I N N OVAT I O N

THIS YEAR we helped our customers and

We are thrilled to announce that we recently picked up Gold at the Business Design Awards for our new in-store bakery concept. As many of you will know, our bakeries were given a major overhaul which saw the introduction of chef whites for our bakers, the ‘bake little and often’ campaign, and our first ever drop-down counters.

This was followed by the re-invigoration of the entire breads and pastries range as well as a great deal of input from the design and planning team on how to make the counters really stand out in stores.

employees recycle just over 10 million Christmas cards in stores in January – that’s 2 million more than last year. To recognise this achievement, we will be able to plant more than 10,000 trees with the Woodland Trust.

Get fitted

This summer sees the launch of our unique new Shapewear fitting advice – alongside our regular Bra Fit service.

With our expertise we are able to offer a way to boost customers’ confidence and enhance their assets in a way that is right for them. Look out for more information and promotional spend & save vouchers coming soon.

May / June 2013

Don forg ’t et!

Su nd 16 Ju ay ne

FAT H E R’ S DAY

A wee dram Glengoyne 14-year-old single malt whisky, 70cl, £33 Pocket pal Collezione Wallet T09/0711, £25

Comedy ’tache Grow Your Own Milk Chocolate Moustache Lolly, £2 A timely gift Autograph Round Face Diving Bezel Watch T09/2099A, £39.50

I t ’s Da y F ather ’s

Show him how much you care Spoil your dad rotten this Father’s Day with one of these gorgeous gifts…

Fun for feet Angry Birds Socks T10/9559, £15 (for seven pairs) Box of treats Liquorice Allsorts 350g, £3

PEOPLE

CHARITY

Play your part As part of this year’s Charity Challenge, June sees the headline event, Bike24, take place at Rockingham Speedway. We would like to wish the 1,400 colleagues taking part the very best of luck. Don’t forget, even if CHARITY CHALLENGE LOGO cycling you can help raise the targeted you’re not £1 million for our five charity partners. Whether you choose to host a bake sale, a quiz night or a dinner dance, why not play your part and support deserving charities? charity challenge

pedalling our way to a million

Your new choices We’re constantly looking at ways that we can improve the benefits that we offer our employees and, earlier this month, we launched a fantastic new website called Choices – a one-stop-shop for all your rewards and benefits, which will grow and develop over time. As a first step we have replaced M&S extras with a new and improved discount scheme, called Perks. Perks offers more than 1,500 deals, discounted gift cards to be used in store and WOWPoints, which can be redeemed against selected offers or transferred to cash. We’ll be adding more exciting benefits to Choices over the coming year, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled in the next issue of YOUR M&S for further announcements.

We hope you enjoy your new Perks! For more information, see www.mandschoices.co.uk.

May / June 2013

CHARITY_CHALLENGE_V1.ai > POS share > CORPORATE > M&S_CHARITY_CHALLENGE_CYCLE_24_2012

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YOUR M&S

News

Three cheers

FA S H IO N

Bestseller!

Our gorgeous Autograph bag is still flying off the shelves, having now sold more than 17,500 singles. Even Joanna Lumley has one and took it with her when she visited Senegal with M&S. Read more about what she was doing there on page 17.

S E RV IC E

Your opportunity to thank your colleagues for their support, dedication, efficiency, humour – or simply just for being themselves

Hannah Parson (right) came to the aid of a customer who had a heart attack, performing compressions until an ambulance arrived.

The paramedic on the scene told the store manager that if Hannah hadn’t acted so quickly, he wouldn’t have survived. The gentleman later came to see Hannah with chocolates and flowers (and a new pacemaker!) to thank her for saving his life.

Nominated by: SARAH FORD, GM Commercial Manager, Richmond store

inputting more than 500 new uniform orders, dealing with challenging individual queries, and liaising with BIG and the office in Paddington to provide feedback. Thank you, Tara.

Nominated by: JACK WHITE, BIG Chair HCN, Cheshunt store Jane Lewin (bottom left) has been the definition of dedication. She has been an indispensable asset to the store by supporting and engaging colleagues, providing knowledge and staying truly In Touch with the team during the whole process. Nominated by: JAMES BARCLAY, Store Manager, Eden High Wycombe store

Tara Perry (middle picture) has done an amazing job of taking control of the uniform rollout, including

Q UA L I T Y

On my shopping list Emma Ward, Homeware Merchandiser for Gibraltar and Marbella, talks us through the products she loves this summer.

‘For the six years I’ve been at M&S I’ve worked alongside a great team who all have real passion for the brand as well as the quality we deliver.

To see customers getting excited about products that I’ve chosen is a great feeling.’

1

FROM DAY TO NIGHT

This jacket is a wonderful transitional piece.

I’d team it with jeans, heels and a statement necklace.’

Open Front Shawl Collar Boxy Jacket, T43/5306, £25

2

KNITS FOR KIDS

‘I love this for my one-year-old son.

It’s smart and the fabric is soft but most importantly it will keep him warm on colder days.’ Autograph Shawl Collar Knitted Cardigan, T78/6114F, £15

3

FEELING SPORTY

‘These leggings are stylish and comfortable and help me to feel confident on the treadmill!’ Active Performance 3/4 Length Contrast Panel Leggings, T51/3556, £19.50

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AND RELAX...

‘This lavender balm is a lovely little relaxation treat to use at the end of a long day.

My fiancé is a big fan!’ Ragdale Hall Relax Temple Balm 10g, T20/3204N, £4

5

ONE FOR HIM

‘Chinos are an essential in any man’s wardrobe and bold colours make them very on-trend.’ Blue Harbour Pure Linen Straight Leg Chinos, T17/5430B, £29.50

From 13 to 17 May, M&S employees around the country along with thousands of others, reduced their stress and anxiety levels, improved their physical health and saved reviewed and the best will be sent to money simply by joining in Sacha to choose an overall winner, who Walk to Work Week, part of will win a fantastic prize and get to spend Our unique products are the things that make M&S National Walking Month. a day with him.

Did you participate?

Write in and special, whether it is the material that we use, the tell us about your experience. range that we offer or the way they are made.

Drum roll, please...

The BIG idea Two BIG Idea winners were recently selected, including our first ever international winner from our sourcing offices in South Asia.

Joanna Lumley and Richard Gillies – who posed the question, ‘Plan A is changing and we need you to tell us how we can make a difference’– found it too hard to pick just one idea from the 2,500 replies, and instead opted for two. The winning suggestions were that M&S should: get ‘behind the label’ of Plan A and promote the stories behind the projects (suggested by Alexandra Florae, Change Manager from Paddington Office); and advertise Plan A products with a bespoke label (suggested by Najeeb Sayed, Head of Sourcing for India). Watch this space to see how both of these ideas progress.

Our most recent BIG Idea, which closed on 17 May, was posed by Retail Director Sacha Berendji (right). All suggestions are currently being W ELLBEING

es iz pr bs tic ra as r g nt fo Fa up

Walk this way

BIG I D E A

The next BIG Idea...

“How can we provide our teams with the right product knowledge to sell to our customers and enhance our level of service?’

Sacha Berendji, Retail Director

We want to make sure that our colleagues in Store are able to use this unique product information to drive sales. One of our priorities in M&S is to continue to innovate and create new products every season. We want your ideas and suggestions to enhance and improve how we deliver this information to colleagues and customers.

We need your help in making product knowledge accessible to the right people, at the right time, to meet our customers’ needs and promote our point of difference to the rest of the high street.

Summer nights

Do you have a great idea about, how to Keep cool with our low-tog duvets and make the information we provide relevant breathable to the right groupspillows, of people,designed to make it to control easier to access, to make it appropriate to your body temperature and keep you the customer’s needs, to give our team’s sleeping comfortably all&summer long. confidence to sell to the customer feedback in the knowledge gained from their Part of our anti-allergy range, 100% of interactions to the business?

the filling in these duvets and pillows

All ideas welcome - the winning idea should is made from recycled bottles. centre around delivering maximum value to our customers in a cost-efficient way.

Everyone’s ideas will be reviewed and the best will be sent to Sacha to choose the overall winner, who will win a fantastic prize and get to spend the day with him.

So help us make a difference...get a BIG Idea form andT74/0622S, submit it to your £7-£9 BIG rep by Friday 17 May.

All about the business

GO TEAM!

Cool for kids

Check out these funky t-shirts for little ones

Our recent weight-loss challenge saw 268 teams lose a total of four tonnes between them in just four weeks. What an impressive feat! Team Wasting Away at Westfield, from Derby Westfield (pictured here with Store Manager Elaine Moulds and Head of Region Andrew Tombs) collectively lost the most weight – 82lbs – and won themselves a weekend spa trip. A big well done and congratulations to everyone who took part.

Remember that www.planAhealth.com is there to help you keep up the good work.

T87/2448J £8-10

T87/2394J, £6

09 YOUR M&S

News

B A R I S TA O F T H E Y E A R

ESPRESSO YOURSELF

Congratulations to Abhishek Banik from Craigleith store, who recently took home the title of M&S Barista of the Year 2013, with Nick Collins from Swansea store as the runner-up.

Now in its fourth year, the Barista of the Year Championship took place at The Business Design Centre in London. An incredible 250 entries were received from M&S baristas across the UK and Ireland before regional assessments were held to select the finalists, each of whom was asked to produce four perfect espressos and four perfect lattes. Bonus points were awarded for latte art.

The judging was carried out by M&S coffee experts and our coffee partner, Matthew Algie – the largest independent coffee roaster in the UK. Winners Abhishek and Nick will visit Matthew Algie in Glasgow to roast and blend their own coffee and take a tour of the Glasgow coffee scene.

S E RV IC E

Celebrating great service

For the second year in a row, Braehead store hosted their very own awards to celebrate outstanding service, and were thrilled to report back that the event was a huge success. The theme of the evening was Aloha, to mark the start of the summer, and the team got into the spirit of things with some great outfits and amazing set design, courtesy of the VM team. Six very special individuals were recognised over the evening, under a variety of categories from Most Mentioned By Our Customers to Best Newcomer.

May / June 2013

M U LT I- C H A N N E L

Truly In Touch

The M&S.com team from Paddington Office led the way recently with a week to help the department stay in touch with their knowledge, career and wellbeing.

Over four days, 370 employees from across e-commerce took part in a total of 35 sessions, including lunchtime talks from Non-Executive Director Martha Lane Fox and tours of Marble Arch, where attendees could gain an understanding of what being a multichannel retailer is all about. An incredible 70% of the team attended at least one session during the week, which was all organised free of charge.

The career breakfasts were a huge hit, providing colleagues with the opportunity to quiz senior staff such as Executive Director Multi-channel E-commerce, Laura Wade-Gery. Other informative sessions included Know

Your Benefits and Future Trends in Digital Marketing as well as an introduction to yoga and pilates and wine-tasting events. All in the name of wellbeing, of course…

The highlight for many was Meet the Teams – a fun and interactive session aimed at increasing awareness and understanding the individual divisions within e-commerce. A big well done to everyone who helped organise the event or attended a session.

FOOD FOCUS

Make today delicious You may have already sampled our new range of tasty main meals and lunch options, called Delicious & Nutritious, inspired by flavours, textures and colours from across the globe. The range includes 11 ready meals and nine Food on the Move options, all in tune with the latest flavour trends.

Packed with grains, pulses, meat, fish, vegetables, nuts and seeds, each of the Delicious & Nutritious dinner range contains at least two of your five daily fruit and veg portions, while most of the lunchtime options will contain at least one. And, more importantly, they’re packed full of flavour.

Spearheading the way We defied the freezing temperatures to become the first retailer to get English asparagus into our stores this year – a month before the season traditionally begins. Grown in Herefordshire in the Wye Valley, the delicacy was cultivated using a pioneering method that harnesses the sun’s energy.

Log on and tuck in For the first time, a number of our Christmas Food to Order bestsellers – such as the Passion Fruit Mousse with a Raspberry Coulis (pictured) – are available all year round from M&S.com. This is, of course, in addition to more than 200 lines available exclusively online. From Porchetta Pork Belly to Lobster Thermidor, finger foods to meat platters, we have all your party needs covered. Other favourites, such as the Runny Scotch Eggs and breaded camembert, can now also be purchased online.

Feeling saucy

Summer sees the launch of bespoke bottles for our salad dressings with bright, colourful designs to reflect their tasty flavours. When designing the bottles, we listened to customer feedback and improved the shape and size. Also new are the Jerk marinade and Peri Peri Hot Sauce.

Enjoy!

May / June 2013

11

YOUR M&S

News

A nutty celebration June marks the 50th anniversary of our very own Walnut Whip. These mouth-watering treats are in fact our second biggest range within confectionery (after Percy Pig), with an incredible 500,000 eaten every week. To mark the occasion, we have introduced new Walnut Whip products, including cakes, mint whips, a Walnut Whip tin and a giant hollow whip filled with five mini ones! For the chance to win some of these delicious treats, turn to page 27.

Dishing up a winner As you may know, Rahila Hussain and her Fragrant White Chicken Korma were crowned the winners of Food Glorious Food. The decision was announced on ITV on 24 April, and the dish was available to buy on the shelves of M&S around the country the very next day, with 40p from every one sold going to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

“I didn’t really believe I’d won until I saw my name and product on the shelf, Rahila told YOUR M&S. “It was magic, just magic.”

Our tasty new campaign We hope you have seen and enjoyed our two new food TV adverts that launched on 13 May. Our aim behind the campaign is to inspire our customers to ‘make today delicious’ and remind them that M&S can help to make every food moment special. We want to be the first place our customers think of when they are planning their summer picnic, BBQ or family gettogether. So make sure that you encourage them to not just save the best for weekends but instead, make every single day that little bit more delicious.

Indulge more often Our range of Guilt Free Snacking treats just keeps on growing. Be sure to look out for the Mini Strawberry Scones(£1.39 for three); Mini Chocolate & Banana pots (£1.99 for two); Mini Chocolate Crispies (£1.99, 5x25g); Mini Jaffa Cakes (£1.49, 5x30g) and Mini White Biscuit Bites (£1.49, 5x25g). All of these sumptuous treats are low in calories but boast an abundance of flavour. We certainly can’t resist them. Can you?

Simply Stunning A look at some more of the exquisite items from our Autumn/Winter 2013 womenswear collection PER UNA

May / June 2013

May / June 2013

13

YOUR M&S

Fashion preview AUTOGRAPH

M&S COLLECTION

AUTOGRAPH

LIMITED EDITION

M&S COLLECTION

May / June 2013

12

YOUR M&S

Womenswear

Autograph per una

Preview

M&S Collection Limited Edition

A glimpse from our new Autumn/Winter 2013 range, due to hit stores in late July You may have already seen some of this gorgeous photography from our womenswear A/W13 collection in the press. As part of our plans to improve our womenswear offer, we are putting quality and style back into M&S clothing. We’re working hard to reassert our leadership in quality and you’ll be hearing a lot over the next few months about the many improvements we’re making here, including to the fit of our clothes and the fabrics we use to make them. Liz Jones in the Daily Mail said that ‘the quality has been revolutionised’. And we’re doubling our efforts to make our clothing brands clearer. A lucky few employees will be modelling some of the collection in the next issue. Watch this space...

May / June 2013

15 YOUR M&S

Castle Donington

Our new, state-of-the-art distribution centre will store 16 million of our clothing and home products and will deliver 120,000 online and 1,500 store orders every day. It features Europe’s largest solar wall and is big enough to hold 11 Wembley-sized football pitches or 2,392 billion Percy Pigs

But we could n ’t d o it without YOU!

May / June 2013

What is it?

Castle Donington, in Leicestershire, is our new distribution centre that will eventually manage all of our M&S.com orders and distribute approximately a quarter of GM products to all of our UK stores. At Christmas time we will distribute one million clothing and home items a day direct to customers’ homes and M&S stores across the country.

Why do we need it?

The people part

People are at the heart of Castle Donington: it will create more than 1,200 new roles for people from the surrounding areas – including operators, engineers, management and office workers.

Inspired by our successful Marks & Start scheme, which operates in M&S stores and offices, we are working with our partner, Remploy, to recruit people at Castle Donington who may face barriers to getting a job because of their disabilities, health conditions and circumstances. Remploy’s aim is to help give people with disabilities the support they need to gain access to employment, and we will continue to work with Remploy to create an inclusive culture with equal pay and equal work.

Castle Donington is part of our plan to transform our GM supply chain and prepare it for the future growth of M&S.com. We have an exciting vision to transform our GM supply chain – which is about how we plan, buy, move and sell our products – and it involves thousands of employees around the business.

This vision is all about getting the right products in the right place at the right time for our customers.

Castle Donington is a key part of the logistics network that we’re creating to help us deliver this.

How will it help our customers?

As well as providing an economic boost for the East Midlands, the highly automated distribution centre features some of the latest technology in the warehousing industry. This will increase accuracy when it comes to delivering customer orders and improve product flow, which means a better all-round customer experience.

The centre will also help us achieve our goal of becoming a leading international multi-channel retailer – giving us better stock availability and visibility, and the opportunity for customers to place orders later than before. Castle Donington will become the backbone for Shop Your Way, improving web, mobile and in-store availability.

Gary

Operational Team Leader

As a team leader, my job is to manage performance and make sure work gets completed. The challenge is impressing upon my team that, as Picker Packers [employees who select the correct items from a conveyor belt and package it correctly] they will be the last people to touch the product before the customer opens it. And as M&S customers, they expect, and deserve, a certain standard. This means that training is very important. For example, if someone’s job is to fold garments, then they must have 40 hours of practice before they can handle the product for real. That’s how much time and money we are investing in getting it just right.

AS A RESULT OF THE SUCCESS OF MARKS & START IN RETAIL, WE HAVE CREATED MARKS & START LOGISTICS. BOTH PROJECTS WORK WITH REMPLOY TO HELP PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND HEALTH CONDITIONS FIND WORK WITH US.

17 YOUR M&S

Castle Donington

Gintare

Warehouse Operative

I’m a temporary member of staff at the moment but I’ve just spotted a job on the noticeboard that I’m going to apply for. My team has been so encouraging.

I’m determined to show my knowledge and work my way to the top – I want to work in HR because I love dealing with people. But no matter what level you are here, everyone talks to you in the same way. I love M&S – especially the fashion! I’m excited to be here right from the start, learning the ropes and handling the products.

A FEW FACTS ABOUT CASTLE DONINGTON PLAN A CREDENTIALS Castle Donington distribution centre is a carbon-neutral building with Europe’s largest solar wall and rainwater harvesting. During building, concrete was reused from the power station that previously stood in its place

Tanveer

Warehouse Operative

Remploy helped me to secure my job here.

I left my old role when my father was diagnosed with lung cancer. I was nervous when I started because everything is so hightech, but everybody has been so friendly; the staff here are brilliant. I hadn’t really shopped at M&S before, I’d just wait outside while my wife went in to buy school uniforms. But now I’m working with the product, I’m keen to see what we’re selling. I feel so proud to be part of such a highly rated company.

May / June 2013

Harold

Warehouse Operative

The size of the centre really blew me away – it’s so vast – but you get used to it. I started seven weeks ago and got my job through Remploy – I hadn’t worked for 17 years prior to that. I suffered terribly from anxiety and panic attacks and had real problems with my confidence, but Remploy helped me overcome these issues. Gary, my shift manager, took me under his wing and I haven’t had any problems since I’ve been here. I love it – despite the size of the place, we’re just one big team.

SUCCESS Since 2004, 6,000 participants have taken part in Marks & Start across the business. The success of the initiative has led to the creation of Marks & Start Logistics, and we will soon be introducing a four-week training and work placement programme to support even more people as the site becomes more operational

*Operatives’ jobs may involve wearing hard hats

SIZE The total size of Castle Donington is 900,000 sq ft and it is one of the most modern, fully automated distribution centres in the UK

Some of the gorgeous accessories on offer from M&S this summer – perfect for dressing up any outfit A girl’s best friend Pink Mini Satchel T83/7016, £25

Hats off Gold Trilby T01/6695, £19.50

Best foot forward Bow Front Wedges T02/1973A, £49.50

Summer LOVING We love...

This Leather Leopard Effect Belt T83/4308A, £25

Who’s a pretty girl then?

Parrot earrings T06/0174D, £7.50

A bit of bling Round Face 3 Eye Analogue Strap Watch T06/4625T, £25

May / June 2013

19

Editor’s choice

Add a spot of colour to any outfit with these Water Repellent Suede Metallic Toe Cap Pumps, £25, T02/7397

50s chic Butterfly Cat Sunglasses T01/4441L, £15

YOUR M&S

Accessories

Cover up Fashion Targets Tie Dye Scarf T01/4003B, £15

Be prepared...

Scenic Beach Print Scarf T01/4909L, £22.50

Make a statement Diamanté & Stud Cuff Bracelet T06/4126L, £9.50

Cute clutch Floral Box Bag T83/0546C, £25

Pretty in pastels Bowler Bag T83/6364L, £35

A dainty addition Square Bead & Diamanté Necklace T06/6734C, £15

What a corker Limited Collection Coral Platform Peep T02/9279, £25

May / June 2013

20 YOUR M&S

Swimwear

Making a

We bring you a gorgeous selection of swimwear whatever your shape or size

splash

As pretty as a picture Halterneck Photographic Sea Print Swimsuit, T52/2031, £29.50

Stingers Jelly Fish Print Swim Shorts, T28/7955B, £17.50

Go dotty Spot Underwired Bikini Top T52/1585U, £22.50; Nautical Spot Hipster, T52/1553P, £14

Simply chic Feather Swimsuit, T52/7256, £35

Mellow yellow Plain Yellow Swim Shorts, T28/7981B, £12.50 Dip Dyed Tie Dye Macrame Bikini Top, T52/7019B, £19.50; Macrame Hipster Bottoms, T52/7019P, £16

Let’s go retro Small Floral Coral Swim Shorts, T28/7996B, £19.50 In the pink Drape Swimsuit, T52/8245, £35

Skater skirt style Halterneck Ruched Skirt Swimsuit, T52/4067, £39.50

May / June 2013

When Joanna visited Pikine, a suburb of Dakar, she met its Mayor, Mactar Ndiaga Seck

The story behind Shwopping ‘As your Plan A Ambassador I went to Senegal in West Africa to see the fantastic work that Oxfam is doing with money raised from Shwopping. Your efforts have been extraordinary, and the results even more so. Read on to find out about my humbling experiences and why there is still so much more to do…’

SHWOPPING THE FACTS Approximately 1 billion items of clothing are sent to landfill each year May / June 2013

That’s a terrifying 114,000 garments every hour

3.8m items have been Shwopped to date

This has raised an estimated £2.3m for Oxfam

450,000 items were donated on our latest One Day Wardrobe Clearout

The global market for second-hand clothes is worth $1 billion a year

22 YOUR M&S

Shwopping focus

Day 1

Rice Project – Saint Louis

‘Our first day was spent visiting a rice project located in Saint Louis, in the north of Senegal. The reason that Oxfam decided to help this project is that, back in 2002, the community was simply devastated by an extraordinary drop in temperature, which resulted in huge amounts of flooding and the loss of crops, seeds and livestock; 100,000 people’s lives were affected.

‘Despite the dry conditions, the area surrounding Saint Louis actually has a good supply of fresh water from the Senegal River, making it ideal land for growing rice – a staple food here, eaten at least once a day by most families.

‘Oxfam’s aim is to support the farmers and enable the local rice producers to grow products that can be sold on in Senegal where, at present, 80% of the rice consumed is imported from Asia.

They worked with a local cooperative to bring farmers together, helping them set up rice processing and packaging facilities, safe places to store their seeds and prepare to cope better with extreme weather. This group employs 11 women – each of which goes on to support at least five people in her family.’

e dry Despite th is Senegal , s n io it d con f growing capable o rice onderful w t s o m the Our lunch made from delicious Senegalese rice

The women sift the rice into different sizes

Chatting with some of the workers in the fields where the rice is grown. In 2002 there was severe flooding here

MOST CLOTHING IS TAKEN TO OXFAM SHOPS

CUSTOMER DROPS AN ITEM INTO SHWOP BIN

OR SENT TO WASTESAVER

Many of these gorgeous children, who accompanied me through the streets of Pikine, were among the 200,000 affected by severe flooding in this region

Some of the beautiful children of Pikine

With Isaac Massaga (Oxfam’s Humanitarian Programme Coordinator)

Day 2

Humanitarian Project – Pikine, Dakar

‘As a low-lying suburb of Dakar, Pikine is prone to devastatingly serious flooding during the rainy seasons, wreaking havoc on the homes and lives of many of the 1.5 million people who live in often squalid conditions here, where disease is rife. Oxfam works to improve the lives of those in the community – such as Lala Diop (right) whose home was full of dirty flood water up to hip heights for three months – by improving hygiene and access to sanitation. Their valiant efforts include the distribution of hygiene kits, pumping out rainwater from homes – as happened at Lala’s, garbage removal, repairing toilets and supplying drinking water.’

IF AFTER 3 WEEKS CLOTHES HAVE NOT BEEN SNAPPED UP, THEY ARE TAKEN TO A HUGE WAREHOUSE CALLED WASTESAVER FOR SORTING

‘The sight of Lala’s home was devastating, but she was a joy to meet’

CLOTHES ARE THEN SENT TO AFRICA OR EASTERN EUROPE TO BE RESOLD OR ARE REUSED/RECYCLED NOT A SHRED OR A STITCH IS WASTED – EVERY PENNY RAISED HELPS FIGHT POVERTY AROUND THE WORLD

24 YOUR M&S

Shwopping focus

‘Clothes are sorted by women with the most wonderfully accurate throws, unlike mine…’

Day 3

Frip Ethique sorting centre – Dakar

‘Our time spent in this magical sorting office was our first real encounter with clothes Shwopped in the UK. Frip Ethique is a remarkable social enterprise where disadvantaged women sort and sell your unwanted garments. It provides employment to more than 40 people, who earn above average wages so are able to support their families, paying for food and schooling.

All of the incredible women we met here were so very grateful for the clothes Shwopped by M&S.’

Bundles of clothes that have been sorted and are waiting to be sold

May / June 2013

Lovingly organised piles of clothes ready to be sold

Bras for sale in the market

Day 4

Frip Ethique sales office/ clothing markets – Dakar

‘Once the clothes have been sorted and baled, they are sent across town to the Frip Ethique sales office run by two saleswomen (including Susan Ndiaye, pictured right) who can sell up to 900 bales of clothing a day on to local traders. Finally, we tracked the clothes to the local market where I met the hard-working traders who sell on the second-hand clothing they’ve bought from Frip Ethique – and where some of the garments you’ve so dutifully Shwopped end up after their long journey. We discovered that jeans, bras and women’s formal tops are in the highest demand, proving that this incredible initiative really is a great success.

May / June 2013

Shwopping stats to come

, don’t I urge you – keep stop now ping! on Shwop oes It really d work

26

YOUR M&S

Meet the expert

Meet the experts

Rhoderick Henderson and Jeneve Williams An in-store Wine Hero from Tolworth store chats with one of our Winemakers, a role unique to M&S Rhoderick Can you tell us what the role of Winemaker entails?

Jeneve We source and blend

wine, having divided our responsibilities by countries and regions: I look after Italy, South and Central America, Eastern Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, India and New Zealand. There are just three Winemakers within M&S.

Rhoderick What qualifies you to do your job?

Jeneve I have a bachelor’s degree

in oenology (winemaking) from Adelaide University in South Australia, as well as 15 years’ experience in winemaking roles in New Zealand, Australia, California, France, Germany and now the UK.

Rhoderick What’s your favourite part of the job?

Jeneve I love making innovative

Jeneve That M&S is special OUR EXPERTS’ FAVOURITES

Negroamaro 2011, T00/835893, £6.99

Secano Paico Vineyard Block 3 Sauvignon Blanc 2011, T00/885102, £11.99

new discoveries: we are about to launch new wines from Sicily and other unique regions of Italy that are not yet represented in the UK. Rhoderick What is it about wine that fascinates you?

Jeneve How it influences culture

and tradition. I’m also a bit of a nerd and I adore wine science and technology.

Rhoderick What one thing do you want us to tell customers?

ChassagneMontrachet 2008, T00/859127, £30

because we make all our own blends to ensure that the style suits our customers. We work hard to be first to market with new discoveries and to produce the classics with the same integrity and energy. We also believe that our customers deserve something delicious for every budget and occasion.

Interview swap

there being someone in the department to provide assistance.

Jeneve Are the iPads helping you?

Rhoderick It’s early days but they

are proving to be invaluable for background information on products and allowing us to take orders for out-of-stock items.

Jeneve Do you ask customers what food they are serving?

Rhoderick We ask if their

Jeneve What is a Wine Hero?

Rhoderick Roughly 150 UK stores

purchase is for drinking with food, on its own, or for a present.

Customers who drink wine but profess to know little about it, usually, when questioned correctly, can reveal a lot of very helpful information about what they like or dislike in a wine, making our job a lot easier.

Helping customers match food to wines is an integral part of our service and is great for creating a bond with our customers.

Jeneve What do you like most about your job?

Rhoderick Customer satisfaction,

Jeneve What trends in wine are you seeing on the shop floor at present?

Rhoderick In the past three or

have Wine Heroes, and as well as providing advice and keeping customers informed of what’s on offer and what’s new, we are there to ensure that stock levels, availability and displays are at their best and, if a certain wine is unavailable, either order it for customers using iPads or recommend the use of Shop Your Way.

especially when customers return to the Tolworth store to say how much they enjoyed a particular recommendation.

Jeneve What feedback have you received from customers?

Rhoderick Feedback has been

very positive; nearly all customers tell us how much they appreciate

four years, more of our customers seem willing to experiment and look for new wine regions to experiment with. Interestingly, this group is usually much more prepared to spend a bit more on their purchase. I suspect this may be to do with having an excellent bottle to drink at home.

May / June 2013

Create the perfect burger

with our Ultimate Steak Burgers, £5 for two (340g) and Utimate Burger Buns, 99p for two (100g). Serve with Smokey Chipotle Chilli Relish, £1.75 (280ml)

Plating up Paradise Bird Dinner Plate, T34/2912D, £3

Treat yourself...

Chocolate Honeycomb Happiness ice cream (500ml, £3.80) and Cookie Dough Chaos ice cream (500ml, £3.80)

WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN

These cute bird tealights are a bargain at just £6 each, T27/4346A

Feeling fruity Berry Blast Salad with very berry jelly seashells, 370g, £3

May / June 2013

WANT TO MAKE THE PERFECT SUMMER PUDDING? TRY THIS DELICIOUS RECIPE FOR PIMM’S FRUIT JELLY, AS SEEN ON FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD. GO TO TINYURL.COM/DXP2WFX

29

YOUR M&S

Alfresco dining

Let’s go OUTSIDE What’s your favourite thing about summer?

For us, it’s packing up some tasty treats and venturing into the great outdoors

We love...

This gorgeous Jasmine table and chairs, the perfect addition to any patio, accessorised with a parasol and pretty floral cushions.

Tell it like it is...

‘I’m in the Garden’ sign, T27/4352A, £5 Basket case White-washed hamper T34/3713, £25

The perfect platter Traditional Italian smoked Antipasti 100g, £2.99

Jasmine Collection Table and 4 Chairs Set, T65/9109, £499; Jasmine Collection Firepit/Coffee Table, T65/9116, £299; Classic Parasol, T84/1834, £99; Cast Iron Base, T84/1818, £39.50; Country Floral Print Cushion, T47/3330, £19.50

May / June 2013

Your letters

Lucy Randall of corporate communications finds the answers to your questions

Badge of honour?

I work on the sales floor and I am amazed that we don’t have badges that show our years of service.

Customers often look at our name badges and ask if we are new! I have been at M&S for ten years and I think just a little badge or star stating a colleague’s length of service would be a nice recognition. Also it would reassure customers that we are more than willing to go that extra mile.

I have noticed them in other stores, including Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

I think staff would appreciate being noticed, especially those who have done more than 25 years.

Star Letter

I have worked in the café at the Windsor store for a year and a half and I have an idea to make our cafés even better.

I don’t think that we have enough sandwiches or cakes suitable for vegetarians. Most of the sandwiches have egg or mayonnaise in them, and many vegetarians do not eat egg.

I think that we should have a selection of eggless snacks for these customers too. What do you think?

Rajkumari Kumar, Windsor store

Thank you for your suggestion, Rajkumari.

You are right in saying that most of the vegetarian options in our cafés currently contain egg.

However, you will be pleased to know we are introducing a sandwich choice in May 2013 that is egg-free – a summer garden salad with herbed cream cheese. We will also be launching six new salad pots – five of which are suitable for vegetarians. They all look delicious! In addition, we always have vegetarian soups and at least one hot meal suitable for vegetarians.

Although all our cakes are suitable for vegetarians, you are correct in saying that they are not suitable for lactovegetarians (vegetarians who do not eat eggs). However, we always have other egg-free snacks, including crisps and fruit.

Ian Howe, Newcastle Store

A £10 M&S gift voucher for every question featured and £25 for the Star Letter*.

We really want to hear from you – we’d love to know what’s on your mind. Please send your letters to the address on p3 of this magazine. *Letters may be edited for publication.

Thanks for your idea, Ian. This is something that the business has considered but has taken the decision not to implement. At M&S we believe our amazing customer service sets us apart from other retailers, and we believe this can be delivered by employees who have worked for the business for 4 months or 40 years. We do, of course, recognise and celebrate Long Service, and are extremely proud of all our employees who reach this milestone. Employees celebrating such a marvellous achievement can choose a gift, shares or vouchers.

Stamp duty

I have an idea to make shopping with us more efficient for customers.

I think we should sell stamps – we sell tons of greetings cards but do not offer the option of buying a stamp to post them.

profitable. We only saw a peak in sales at Christmas and Valentine’s day. Our customers love buying our greeting cards, but it would seem they prefer to buy their stamps elsewhere. However, we are constantly reviewing all business solutions so this could change, depending on customer habits.

Bag for life prompt

I have been thinking about how we can encourage our customers to get their reusable bags from the boots of their cars. It’s more apparent now in Simply Food that people only pop in for a few items, but by the time they get to checkouts they have no bag and they have got more than they intended to buy! We have lots of signage in store for all our wonderful offers – why not have a banner reminding people to get their bags out of the boot. I think customers have become too complacent about an extra 5p on their shopping bill.

Julie Futter, Simply Food, Cowley, Oxford

Thank you, Julie, we totally agree!

Our customers could always use a gentle reminder to take their Bags for Life or old carriers with them from the car. We have been adding large Bag for Life signs (see below) to the sides of the trolley shelters in all new stores with car parks, which you may have already seen. These great reminders now match the Concept Foods graphic scheme.

Shashi Jhalli, Simply Food, Chiswick, London

Thanks, Shashi. M&S used to sell stamps; however, a conscious decision was made to stop as the sales benefits were too small to be May / June 2013

Sit back, relax and play these games There are 12 fruits and vegetables hidden in this grid. Starting in the shaded square, can you trace a path that finds them all?

You can only visit each letter once, and the path goes up, down and sideways, but not diagonally. The last letter of one item is adjacent to the first letter of the next. To help you the items in order begin with C, A, A, C, O, R, C, L, B, B, P and S.

A P I L O O R N A

C O R R B

O R B A G E A A B

T P A E L P P H U

C L I O W O R R E

A U F L E R A N G

Your answers

Why not try this Sudoku for a quick lunchtime brain workout?

Good luck.

C I B A

carrot lime banana

broccoli parsnip satsuma

Terms & conditions Entries must be received by 23:59 on Friday 28 June 2013. The prize draw is open to employees of the Marks & Spencer Group of Companies who are permanent residents of the UK and ROI and are aged 18 or over only. Only one entry per person is permitted. No responsibility will be taken for late, lost, indecipherable or misdirected entries. One winner will be drawn at random on Monday 1 July 2013 under the supervision of an independent person.

The prize is non-transferable, non-refundable, subject to availability and there is no cash alternative. The winner will be notified by Friday 5 July 2013 by phone. M&S reserves the right to substitute the prize for one which is, in its sole discretion, of equal value. M&S reserves the right to cancel the prize draw at any stage if deemed necessary due to circumstances outside its control. M&S is not liable for any delay or failure to perform any obligation to the winner or other entrants that is caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control or by any act or omission of any third party. The name and county of the winner will be available by sending a stamped addressed envelope to YOUR M&S magazine at the M&S Office at Waterside House. The prize draw shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales. The promoter of the prize draw is Marks & Spencer plc.

Let us entertain you...

S T P I L T R A C

cauliflower orange rhubarb

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of M&S’s Want to Walnut Whip, we are feast on all these giving one winner a delicious treats? bumper selection of Email us to enter with goodies, including a your name, store or Walnut Whip tin office details, and a giant hollow at the email Walnut Whip – address below by which contains five 28 June. smaller ones – as well as a selection of assorted packs. To read more about our Walnut Whip’s anniversary, turn to our food news special on page 10. And for some inspiration on picnic and BBQ food for the summer, have a look at our Alfresco Dining feature on page 24.

U A S N I M E B A

cabbage apple apricot

WIN! A selection of M&S Walnut Whip treats

M A R S C C B A N

Do y ou have som ething to sa y? Email Intern al.Communications2@marks-a nd-spe ncer.com

n o i l l i m 4 Almost nd a s t n e garm w o H . . . g countin g n i p p o w your Sh a g n i k a is m o t e c n e r diffe d n a m Oxfa a c i r f A t s We

Turn to page 17 to step inside the Frip Ethique Shwopping sorting office