Marks & Spencer admit artificially restricting stock to enhance exclusivity
Marks & Spencer chief Marc Bolland has admitted that the retailer has deliberately engaged in artificially restricting supply of its most popular clothing ranges in a bid to boost their perceived exclusivity.
Garments from the chains ‘Leading Ladies’ collection are amongst the products to be identified by the policy; notably a popular £85 pink coat which has proved to be as elusive as hens teeth for disappointed shoppers.
Commenting on the strategy Bolland said: “Some garments, you do not want more than 3,000. You do not want 40,000 of the same coats walking around. That is probably not the way to also create some of the stylishness.
“I think we always try to service people well. The pink coat came back in different colours and it is still very popular. You want to give people a new experience after that. We said that we will certainly have a number of lines that will be a bit more selectively bought.”
M&S recently reported a 9 per cent fall in pre-tax profits to £262m while also releasing its fairy tale themed Christmas advertising campaign.