By Josie Gudgeon
It is crazy to believe that a Yorkshireman and a Polish immigrant turned a Leeds market stall into one of the most recognizable names on the high street and abroad.
How Marks & Spencer started out:
Marks & Spencer opened their first shop in Leeds covered arcade in 1904. However, the company first started out in 1884 when a Polish refugee named Michael Marks opened up a market stall in Leeds, with the slogan “Don’t ask the price, it’s a penny”. But it was in 1894 when Marks went into partnership with Thomas Spencer to form a cashier whole sales company. They became the public company and adopted the revolutionary policy to buy directly from suppliers. This small street company blossomed into warehouses and their original £600 investment turned into £30,000 by 1903.
Why we need to save the high street:
Marks & Spencer stores are still seen to be a badge of pride for the high streets of Yorkshire. However, the rise of online shoppers and cheaper retailers like Primark, which seems to be appealing to the younger generation of shoppers, means M&S is facing a critical threat. This has been outlined with their proposals to shut 100 of their stores down. Consumers are often enjoying the convenience of browsing through fashion websites, due to temptations making it difficult to resist as they are inundated with online discount codes. This change runs the risk of turning a once-thriving town of Huddersfield into a ghost town. Some would argue that online retail companies are simply supplying to consumer demands, but when taking into account other factors, including tax payments, business rates and rent costs, it’s clear that high-street retailers are not on a level playing field with their online competitors.
But why should we get out there and support the High-street shops rather than sitting on our own just clicking items on the internet? Shopping is a family experience. In an increasingly technology-driven world, the high street still allows us to obtain human connections. We gain interaction through customer services, as well as the social aspect of shopping. The high street is at risk of becoming another casualty of technology advancement in modern life.
Traits that cannot be matched by online retailers are the physicality of trying on outfits and testing out products in the flesh. As well as the tradition of having a high street in our town, which can bring a strong sense of community into an area, driving in profits for local business such as cafes, hotels, etc.
The loss of Huddersfield’s Marks & Spencer:
Huddersfield’s Marks & Spencer store first opened up on New Street in 1934. The closing of this M&S store was a massive blow to the town with a loss of 71 jobs for locals and 85years worth of history surrounding the store site. M&S head of region for South Yorkshire states that: “Proposing to close stores is never easy, for our colleagues, customers or the local community, but it is vital for the future of M&S. Where we have closed stores, we are continuing to see an encouraging number of customers choosing other nearby locations and shopping on M&S.com.”
Huddersfield’s MP, Barry Sheerman stated: “Huddersfield is a typical town of Britain and if they can’t make it work in a thriving university town like Huddersfield they are in deep trouble.” Sheerman was angered by the closing of M&S for Huddersfield town centre. However, his efforts to make the retailer reconsider where discounted.
We may wonder if we had spent more money in M&S as to whether or not it would still be on the high street? Marks & Spencer was one of the largest clothing retailers in the UK and over 10 years ago was recorded as the 43rd largest retailer in the world with 895 stores worldwide. The company is a long-standing British heritage with its roots firmly in Yorkshire.
How this effects our heritage:
Do you feel we have lost some of Yorkshires heritage with all of the Marks & Spencer stores closing down within the area? Personally, I feel that it is a massive loss for the Yorkshire area. The long-established name on high street made a huge gate way for a lot of companies within the industry. M&S have shown once again how the strength within the community of Yorkshire can single handily drive an industry forward.
I truly believe that without the Yorkshire community, Marks & Spencer wouldn’t have grown to the largely well-established retailer that it is today. The company needs to support its roots in order to make this company saleable and thrive again once more. It could strip the brand back to what made it desirable years ago. M&S is constantly trying to compete with other high street haul sale brands which ship in from China. M&S drew people in by being a British haul sales company many years ago. Although this may lead to M&S’s products being more expensive, M&S can promote a more sustainable shop.
In the 19th century Huddersfield established a worldwide reputation for textiles manufacturing. The words ‘Made in Huddersfield, England’ became a highly admirable global brand. West Yorkshire had a hugely established textile industry and I feel that M&S could bring back some of this heritage with their well-established name, honoring their Yorkshire roots. As a result of this Huddersfield has a fantastic art and design department at the University of Huddersfield. M&S could use this to their advantage, setting up schemes with the University. Fuelling in new, fresh ideas from developing and inspired minds. This could really benefit M&S and drive the company forward into revolutionary ideas.
Additionally, if you are wanting to find out more on M&S’s Yorkshire heritage you can head over to Leeds and visit the ‘M&S Company Archive: Marks in Time’ which I strongly encourage anyone in Yorkshire to do so. The exhibition contains 71,00 items, dating back from 1884 to the present day and comprises of written, photographic, digital and physical records. These all represent the heritage and key aspects of the company’s activities.