ohnojo

If you want M&S shoes try No1 Shoe Warehouse !
I bought a pair of high heeled sling backs from there last week for $14.99 and they say Marks And Spencer on the bottom ( I couldn't believe my eyes !!)

janek

I could believe that, they probably came out of the same factory in China

P2L

Sometimes get New Look footwear in there too.

Bo-Jangles

So what is the obsession with Marks & Sparks sourcing product in China? They source products from all over the world, including NZ. Ask any NZ farmer supplying M&S, just how difficult it is to meet the stringent standards of their very discerning buyers. M&S certainly wouldnt be buying the quality of product, we see here in the supermarkets and the local veggie store. Only the best for them. Therefore, I trust the quality of the products they sell, knowing that they are good value for money and that they will last.

Am intigued also as to which store(s) in NZ that you think M&S would need to raise their game to either match or beat? Please do tell! You say you recently moved over, so probably the clothes, if any, that you have bought in NZ won't have had the chance to see the test of time of being washed and worn week after week, for more than a few months . Mine have! Four years and still going strong - far surpassing anything I have ever bought here. People in my work often comment on my clothes and I have to answer 'Oh ths old thing, it must be old I bought it in the UK.'

Please do tell me of a one-stop shop in NZ, where you can clothe your whole family from head to foot, for any occasion from black tie, designer style dresses, casuals to beachwear, without leaving the store.

I would also like to know where are the shops that offer a range of sizes from petites to plus sizes, in various leg and skirt lengths. Perhaps you can point me in the direction of a shop where I can run in grab my size off the rail and know without a doubt that it will fit and stand the test of time. I need to find this shopping mecca now.

M&S needs to raise it's game to meet anything NZ? You are 'avin a laugh!

love30stm

who cares didnt like M & S anyway old fashioned clothes, underwear was ok, but i much prefer bonds underwear

sr71

You have a very rosy view on M&S.

I agree about the variety and that there is nothing in NZ that comes close but I'm afraid I have disagree about their quality. It's not terrible, but it certainly isn't better than many things you can buy in NZ, in particular sock, underwear and mens shirts. Of course many of these aren't from NZ anyway - Country Road, Van Heusen, Bonds, Jockey etc

uk+kiwi

M&S has a one day 20% off sale happening tomorrow THURSDAY 20th NOVEMBER, UK time. Thus in reality it starts at midnight tonight - just over 3 hours time.

This applies across the board on clothing, wine and Xmas shop items which has many 3 for 2 offers.

Obviously it's available through their website or I wouldn't be posting it here! Good time to buy if you're thinking about doing so.

TeamEmbo

Personally I think M&S is over rated. I have had no problems finding good quality reasonably priced clothes, shoes, underwear and household goods here and I much prefer the more personal boutique shops than the large, bland same old same old like M&S. Just my opinion.

garryhg

[QUOTE=TeamEmbo;6998384]Personally I think M&S is over rated.

I would agree,yes i bought things out of M&S,..your lifestyle is different here,you dont need the expensive clothes..IMHO nobody cares here what you are wearing,and i certainly couldnt justify paying the shipping cost just to get something to wear just because its from M&S..I think theres a lot of snobbery with M&S in the UK..

Yes there stuff washes well
Yes there stuff looks better quality
can i live without it...YES course i can,I'd much rather have my family shipped out,now them i miss...Jacky

scrubbedexpat094

Mrs V did an order last week & unfortunately they don't deliver chocolates

Kiwiprincess

Bonds underwear is great - no wedgies when going to the gym. And, they can be bought at farmers, warehouse etc.

M&S I found just a bit blah. Quality on their bettter ranges was good but on their basic range it certainly wasnt.

In saying that, I am less picky about where an item comes from as long as I like them.

My 'great find' was a great pair of jeans which I still wear from Sainsbury's. They cost £12. Much nicer than the sass and bide ones I had which cost...um....a shedload more.

lardyl

so effectively you are comparing M&S with the UK "department stores" who stocked all this stuff, or the equivalent. That is somewhat unfair as M&S are better value than those stores, apart from maybe Debenhams. Hence the majority of the Department stores that were around 15-20 years ago are out of business now - eg Owen Owen, Alders, many of the Beatties, etc, etc

Then you need to ask who clothes their family in a department store? Not that many folks. Value is more of an issue - the people who used M&S in the UK probably use Farmers in NZ and the value gap there is pretty yawning, especially if you add in what can be afforded on NZ wages.

Suppose you also have Primark vs The Warehouse......again I'd be with Primark on the quality front.

An economy of scale is always going to favour the UK retailers, along with some pretty tough competition with the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury getting in on the act and adding to competition. Although the low wages paid in NZ might help their stores rather......

sr71

I'm afraid you've lost me on this one. I would see Bonds, Jockey and Van Heusen as solidly in the M&S category. Country Road comparable to the M&S Signature range.

I certainly don't think M&S has a down market image in the UK and they are certainly not the cheapest around. I much prefer their stuff to Debenhams, BHS or John Lewis.

lardyl

sorry I missed the point at the front of your post saying that M&S has a wide range - oopps

agree on the rest, although the Van Heusen brand has gone down market since I last bought one of their shirts (1980s), and the quality has fallen in line with the M&S stuff, which remains great for me for shirts to be worn out at work (the cheapies at a couple for £10 or something like).

I was witness to much of the destruction of the UK rag-trade as we used to get calls to fires at the spinning, dyeing, stentering, weaving, stitching, etc shops/factories all over the East Mids in the 90s. My cousin's sportswear manufacturing company faded away around that time too along with Clifford Williams, who shut down lots of plants and whom my Aunty worked for and made lots of the M&S trousers, etc I wore in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Suppose you saw the same in NZ and the pacific islands with lots of brands falling to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India and China. Pity as all the cheap stuff just makes the more expensive quality brands even less affordable.

southerner

Ah, the traditional way for exiting an unprofitable industry.