Marks and Spencer : & SPENCER COMMITS TO HOLD PRICES FOR CUSTOMERS ON ITS MARKET LEADING SCHOOLWEAR THIS SUMMER

• M&S holds prices on school uniform and launches 20% off for early Back-to-School shoppers until 25^th July 2022.
• M&S school uniform is responsibly sourced and 'made to last' with growth proof hems and adjustable waistbands.
• Retailer launches 'Sparks Days Out' to help make summer holiday budgets go further by offering customers spending over £35 on Clothing & Home access to discounts of up to 50% at over 2,000 UK family attractions.

M&S has today [Tuesday 5^th July] committed to hold prices on its market leading quality schoolwear, as the retailer looks to protect value for customers on the products that matter most. The summer Back-to-School season is the UK's third busiest shopping event behind Christmas and Easter* and, from today, M&S is offering an additional 20% off schoolwear for early bird shoppers until 25^th July.

Made-to-Last Schoolwear

M&S schoolwear is ranked #1 by consumers for value for money** and the retailer is clear that its hold on prices, will not compromise its high quality and sourcing standards. All M&S schoolwear is designed to be durable and pass the 'hand-me-down' quality test and across the range, M&S has incorporated intelligent innovative design features that grow with children, from growth proof hems to adjustable waistbands.

Prices in the M&S range start from just £7 for a multipack of three 100% responsibly sourced cotton unisex polo shirts, featuring StayNEW^TM technology to reduce colour loss and bobbling. With the additional 20% Back-to-School offer applied, starting prices come down to £5.60 for early shoppers.

In support of its net zero ambitions, M&S is encouraging its customers to increase the average number of times a kidswear item is worn. This summer M&S has continued its popular 'Pass me on' coat labels with enough room for three children's names and in April announced it had become the first major high street retailer to partner with peer-to-peer kidswear resale platform dotte. Consumers re-selling M&S products on dotte will receive an M&S voucher for £5 off a £25 spend at M&S in-store or online.

Sparks Days Out: Enjoy days out for less, this summer with M&S

To help summer holiday budgets go even further, M&S has launched 'Sparks Days Out' to offer all customers spending over £35 on Clothing & Home - including schoolwear - access to discounts of up to 50% at over 2000 UK family attractions and experiences across the UK.

Latest insight from M&S's latest Family Matters Report shows that whilst cost of living is front of mind as a concern for 82% of UK families, they are determined to make the most of a restriction-free summer. Customers spending over £35 in a single transaction on Clothing & Home in store or online, simply scan their Sparks app to redeem a 3-month membership to Sparks Days Out. Exclusively hosted in a customer's Sparks hub, Sparks Days Out offers access to discounts at attractions from theme parks, zoos and staycations to cinemas and restaurants and builds on the success of the retailer's trial Kids Pass partnership last summer, which saw over 90,000 redemptions.

Alice Duggan, Head of M&S Kids said "Schoolwear is an essential purchase for millions of families and now, more than ever, we want customers to have confidence in the value and quality of our uniform. As the UK market leaders during the Back-to-School season, we want to not only protect the prices, but help extend the life of our school ranges through design features and innovations so items can be worn for longer, be passed on to friends and family or even resold on dotte in return for money off at M&S. The launch of our new 'Sparks Days Out', combined with our 20% off Our Back-to-School offer, means those shopping early benefit from the promotion and can enjoy more affordable summer days out, thanks to meaningful discounts on an incredible range of UK family attractions."

A one stop-shop for Back to School

This year, M&S is the one-stop-shop for Back-to-School, offering everything from schoolwear to accessories, for a seamless shopping experience. Just last week, the retailer announced the expansion of kidswear 'Brands at M&S', welcoming iconic shoe brand Clarks and popular school supplies brand's Smiggle and Hype to more stores across the UK, as well as welcoming Kickers and Jansport to M&S.com. M&S schoolwear is available all-year round and the full Back to School product range, including third-party brands is available on M&S.com and available for next day delivery to home or free Click & Collect to over 700 M&S store locations.

ENDS

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*Mintel: Counting the cost: Brits spend £1.2 billion sending kids Back to School

**Source: YouGov

More about Sparks

Sparks Day's Out is the latest example of M&S' efforts to create a leading, personalised loyalty programme - with relevant offers, rewarding experiences and donations to causes customers care about every time they shop - all housed together in the M&S App. In 2020 Sparks relaunched as a digital-first loyalty scheme - and has doubled customer numbers in less than two years to over 15 million members