Marks & Spencer is looking to shed its reputation for selling frumpy clothes aimed at the over-50s in 2020 by going after the booming athleisure market with a range of affordable sportswear.
From Friday the 150-piece Goodmove collection, which includes leggings, will be available. In-store leggings “experts” will be on hand to help customers choose from five styles, which start at £15 for a basic pair and go up to £45 for sculpting tights. The accompanying marketing push includes ads on social media as well as a dedicated Spotify playlist.
M&S, which is due to issue a Christmas trading update next week, has been unsuccessfully trying to reinvent itself for nearly two decades but chief executive, Steve Rowe, is promising to make the changes. The retailer is redesigning its fashion and food ranges to attract more young families. At the end of last year it poached Richard Price, the head of Tesco’s F&F clothing and homewares label, to lead the struggling clothing division.
M&S already sells one in four sports bras in the UK but sees scope to cash in on the booming sportswear market, which has been a rare bright spot for fashion retailers at a time when overall clothing sales are falling. High street rivals, including JD Sports, have benefited from a shift towards casual dressing across the generations and in the workplace, which has made trainers and leggings everyday attire.
Jill Stanton, M&S womenswear director, said: “Activewear has become a staple in today’s wardrobe – not simply because we work out more but because the nation is embracing a more causal and flexible way of dressing.”
Last year GlobalData, the retail analysts, said a fifth of UK consumers purchased sports clothing as fashion rather than to exercise in – and predicted the growth in demand for sports gear would continue to exceed that for regular clothing and footwear.
While designer brands such as Lululemon (which in 2013 had to recall leggings after customers complained the fabric was too sheer) and Sweaty Betty sell £100 leggings, M&S said its research showed the majority of women prioritised comfort and fit over the brand name.
