Local sourcing for M & S

Marks&Spencer Reliance India, a tie up between the Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance Retail and UK-based retailer Marks & Spencer, is looking forward to source its 70% merchandise from within the country.

The company’s merchandise largely consists –apparels, lingerie and accessories for men, women and children. It has also expanded its portfolio to kitchenware this year.

Further, M&S plans to increase its store count to 50 by March 2013. It currently operates 18 stores in India across Delhi, Amritsar, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai. With an average size of 15,000 to 20,000 sq ft, the new stores would foray to metros and 15 other cities, including tier I and II towns.

They would house apparel, footwear, lingerie, handbags, accessories and beauty products. The rollout will be a mix of malls and high streets.

The company was recently embroiled in a labour dispute where the Garment and Allied Workers Union (Gawu) has accused M&S of colluding with its supplier, Viva Global for violation of labour laws for the past six years.

However, M&S has refuted the allegations of non- payment of minimum wages.