M&S links up with Mamas & Papas for shop-in-shop trial

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Oct 5, 2022

The tird-party ‘Brands at M&S’ offer continues to grow at pace, the retailer has announced, and that can only mean a new addition to its roster. Nursery brand Mamas & Papas is set to trial in three regions across the UK.

It will be presented in a shop-in-shop format, allowing customers to select from over 700 of the brand’s bestselling products, "complementing the existing family offer".

The units will have their own till points along with dedicated Mamas & Papas specialists to “provide tailored, independent advice and recommendations to parents-to-be and their families”. That includes offering in-store services such as one-to-one personal shopping appointments and car seat consultations and fittings.

The partnership with Mamas & Papas follows "the success" of Early Learning Centre, FAO Schwarz, Clarks, Hype and Smiggle, which have joined the ‘M&S Family'.

And its expansion in the sector is important as M&S noted the baby and childrenswear market is worth £6 billion and expected to grow 4.1% in the next five years. Currently, it claims one in four customers shop kidswear at M&S, it was market leader for school uniforms during Back-to-School, and that 65% of sales of nursery items are completed in-store.

Richard Price, Managing Director of Clothing & Home, said: “We’re the number-one choice for families when children start school and this new partnership fills a gap in our product offering to ensure we cater for families throughout parenthood.”

Mark Saunders, CEO at Mamas & Papas, added: “With our goal to be the most accessible nursery brand on the high street, we’ll continue our commitment to investing in bricks & mortar, by expanding our successful concession business and in doing so, make the positive step in supporting M&S on their journey into the nursery category.”

Meanwhile, M&S said 1.2 million customers have shopped third-party brands in selected stores and online over the last 12 months. “This is just one example of how M&S is repositioning for growth to become more relevant, more often”, it noted.