<div id="readability-page-1"><div><div><div><div><p>Marks &amp; Spencer is preparing to launch its clothes in US stores for the first time in its 142-year history as it aims to crack America.</p><p>The retailer’s womenswear range will be available in 30 Nordstrom stores across America, including New York and Los Angeles, from Friday, April 3.</p><p>The collection will feature a curated selection of more than 60 of M&amp;S’s bestselling items. The launch of the range comes after M&amp;S struck a partnership deal with Nordstrom, a department store that already has agreements with other UK brands including Next and Topshop.</p><p>M&amp;S sells food in the US through a partnership with American supermarket Target, as well as a fashion range in Australia.</p><p>However, the latest tie-up marks a landmark moment for M&amp;S in that it will see its clothes sold in American shops for the first time since the British high street stalwart was founded in 1884.</p><p>M&amp;S has been seeking to boost sales by expanding overseas. Archie Norman, the M&amp;S chairman, has said the company needed to become “a global brand” to survive another century.</p><p>The clothing launch will be viewed as a sign of M&amp;S’s growing confidence in the US. It follows a previous disastrous attempt by the British retailer to crack the American fashion market by buying up a local brand.</p><p>M&amp;S spent $750m (£565m) on Brooks Brothers in 1988, the tailor that pioneered the off-the-rack suit, in an attempt to gain a foothold in the US.</p><p>However, it was forced to retreat from the market after struggling to make the deal work, selling the American chain in 2001 for $225m – less than a third of what it paid.</p><p>Speaking in late 2023, Mr Norman said M&amp;S would not make the mistake of “flag planting” again, adding: “You have to choose where you compete and be strong in individual markets.”</p><p>One in 10 US customers are aware of M&amp;S as a fashion brand, according to the retailer. It said the highest awareness was among women aged between 25 and 34.</p><p>There is strong demand for M&amp;S’s food range in the US. Under the Target tie-up, it sells more than 30,000 bags of Percy Pigs in the US every week.</p><p>American customers can buy M&amp;S pieces online, although it has only around 51,000 US visitors to its website each year, suggesting there is significant room to grow. </p><p>Nordstrom previously claimed it had around 33 million customers, although recent shopper numbers are not available as the department chain has since been taken private.</p><p>Mark Lemming, the managing director of M&amp;S’s international business, said: “With strong brand momentum as the UK’s most trusted retailer and now leading in style, quality and value perceptions in our womenswear range, now is the time to build our brand awareness in the US fashion market and establish ourselves as a globally trusted brand.”</p></div></div></div></div></div>

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<p>Marks & Spencer (M&S) is set to launch its clothing line in the US for the first time, partnering with Nordstrom to sell its womenswear range in 30 stores, including locations in New York and Los Angeles, starting April 3. This move marks a significant step for M&S, which has previously struggled in the US market. The company aims to enhance its global presence and brand awareness, particularly among younger American consumers. M&S has a successful food partnership with Target in the US, selling popular items like Percy Pigs.</p>

M&S seeks to crack America with clothing launch