A shop will open on the Champs-Elysees later this year and a French website will open too. M&S will also open a chain of Simply Food stores.

A shop will open on the  later this year and a French website will open too. M&S will also open a chain of Simply Food stores. This is a huge move. But also a huge risk.
M&S lost an incredible amount of goodwill when it closed the shops in 2001, including 18 stores in France.
On the day that the closures were announced, Agence France-Presse ran the following snippet: "Employees of Marks and Spencer's 18 stores in France react with shock and indignation to news that the company's entire operation on continental Europe is shutting down."
There followed noisy protests, and books of condolence were placed in stores.
It was not only the fact that M&S was pulling out that shocked customers, it was the manner in which M&S did it. The move took its staff by surprise and they accused M&S of bungling the announcement.

Posted in: Champs-Elysees