M&S aims to double store number by 2016

M & S plans to double its store count from 36 at present to 80 by 2016, M&S, which operates in India through a joint venture partnership with Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Retail, also plans to venture into smaller towns such as Surat and Kanpur, without compromising much on quality or pricing. It will also have a uniform catalogue of styling across the country. Marc Bolland, Chief Executive, M&S, said, “We changed our priority market to India from China two and a half years ago. In the last eight years, we have achieved exactly what we had planned in terms of store count and sales. Last year, we had 28 per cent growth in revenue and double-digit same-store sales growth.” Bolland was addressing the media at the official opening of its new high-street store in uptown Bandra.