M&S has designs on suucess

Troubled high street store Marks & Spencer was today hoping to revive its fortunes with the launch of a new womenswear collection.

The new line ‘‘per una’’ - meaning ‘‘for one woman’’ in Italian - has been designed by business guru George Davies, founder of Next and Asda’s George clothing range.

The range is aimed at customers in their 20s and early 30s and includes punk-inspired jackets, glamorous denim and sexy suits.

In an innovative twist, each size in the per una range will be displayed separately so that shoppers do not have to search through rails of clothes to find their particular size.

Sally Bain, senior retail analyst with Verdict retail consultancy, said: ‘‘On first look I think it is a good collection. The range definitely has a younger and more fashionable feel than the core, classic M&S range and it offers good value for money.

‘‘We have been saying for a long time that M&S needed to segment its ranges and appeal to different people.

‘‘This is an excellent step forward in appealing to a specific customer group and will be very important as part of the M&S recovery.’’

The idea of grouping clothes according to size was a good one but might prove confusing to customers, she said.

‘‘It will take customers a little while to realise what is happening because it is not the norm. It will be very important for M&S to communicate and clearly sign it so customers don’t get confused.

‘‘But it is a very sensible idea indeed and should make life a little more simple - why look through a whole rail of size 8 clothes when you are a size 14?’’

M&S hopes the new collection will improve the store’s fortunes after a series of poor sales reports led to branch closures on the continent.

The firm has struggled to shed its former image and faced protests from workers angered by the closure of the chain’s 38 European stores.

But Mr Davies is confident per una will be a success.

He said: ‘‘It has certainly been a challenge for me, but one that I’m confident that I’ve risen to with a range of clothes that will appeal to all women.

‘‘This is a collection with no compromises - down to the last detail,’’ he said.