M&S reopens fitting rooms as UK lockdown eases further

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
May 17, 2021

M&S is taking some more key steps on Monday as it reopens its UK fitting rooms and its cafes. The stores themselves have been open since April 12 in England and Wales, but customers were unable to try on any of their potential purchases, despite fitting rooms being one of the most popular features in the stores, regularly seeing queues outside them.

However, the reopening does come with limitations as fitting rooms will be open only from 10am until 4pm with a number of hygiene measures in place.

Customers will need to sanitise their hands before entering the space, while each individual lockable cubicle will be cleaned frequently and a ‘host’ will be there to control the traffic flow and ensure social distancing.

The company trialled fitting rooms at its two Oxford Street, London, stores over the past three weeks and said it has “taken valuable learnings and customer feedback”.

Ali Grainger, Head of Clothing & Home Retail at M&S said: “Since reopening last month, it’s been fantastic seeing customers returning to our stores wanting to reignite the experience and fun of shopping once again. With events, holidays and hopefully a summer full of sunshine just around the corner, people are really starting to think about their wardrobe, and as such, they want to try before they buy.”

Meanwhile, the reopening for dining indoors of M&S cafes in England, Wales and Scotland is important because it adds to the appeal of making a shopping trip to a physical destination. Being able to back dine-in also increases dwell time in-store.