Editors' Top Reads: News from M&S, Stripe & Stare, Russell & Bromley and more...
Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.beauty team.
Marks & Spencer reaffirms ‘Trusted Value’ strategy to guide fashion through 2026
Marks & Spencer launched its value manifesto this week; entitled "Value You Can Trust”. The retail giant has undertaken a root-and-branch overhaul of its fashion offering in recent years and it appears to be paying off, with customers praising the improved fashionability but, more importantly, noticing the value for money.
YouGov data indicates that M&S ranks highly among UK retailers for perceptions of style, quality and value. According to the company, these metrics have been tracked since 2018 and show a steady improvement in value and quality perceptions over that period.
M&S cites examples of its £30 barrel-leg jeans in womenswear, available in multiple colours and leg lengths, and £30 men’s supersoft jumpers containing wool as winners with consumers. Personally, I might prefer it to add a few more ££ onto the price of its supersoft knits so they could contain more wool, but M&S knows its customer better than I do.
That aside, I do like that M&S is promoting this message and educating consumers to think more about value rather than just price. The race to the bottom we experienced in fashion in the 2000s has been so damaging - not just to fashion businesses, but also to the environment and to consumers, who have wasted endless amounts of money on rubbish, frankly.
It's good to see M&S going back to what it once always stood for and bringing the consumer along with them.
Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief.
Industry reacts: What's NEXT for Russell & Bromley
When I first heard that NEXT had acquired Russell & Bromley, I’ll admit I felt that familiar pang of high-street nostalgia. A 145-year-old, family-run footwear brand stepping into someone else’s hands always feels like the end of an era.
But as I dug into the details, it became clear that this wasn’t a hostile takeover or a cultural erasure. NEXT has quietly built a reputation as a safe harbour for legacy brands, from Joules to FatFace to Cath Kidston. The playbook is the same: respect the brand’s identity, streamline the back end, and give the front end room to breathe.
Talking to retail experts, it’s obvious why this deal works. Russell & Bromley’s products and heritage are strong, but its operating model struggled under rising costs and an overextended store estate. As Richard Hyman put it, "NEXT’s well-oiled, optimally efficient operating model is the perfect fit." Paul Brooks echoed this, noting that the brand keeps its soul even while the backend is integrated.
Of course, there’s tension around the physical footprint. With 33 standalone stores likely to close, the high-street presence is shifting. But if history is anything to go by (think GAP), a pause can lead to a smarter, more targeted return.
Marcus Jaye’s comment summed it up perfectly: "A Russell & Bromley was a signifier of a premium British high street or shopping centre. We probably took the brand for granted and many will miss it when it disappears."
Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer.
Stripe & Stare to open debut store on London’s King’s Road
London-born lingerie brand Stripe & Stare is making its first foray into physical retail with a pop-up on King’s Road this February - much to the excitement of TheIndustry.fashion team, even if it’s only for a limited run.
The two-floor space opens on 7 February and will run through 8 June. As part of this, visitors can explore Stripe & Stare’s full core collection of lingerie and sleepwear, from best-selling knickers, thongs, and Brazilians to bras and nightwear, all thoughtfully designed for comfort and style.
The King’s Road store will feature seasonal colourways alongside the brand’s signature staples, crafted entirely from responsibly sourced fabrics. Fans of comfy, conscious underwear will also be pleased to know that the entire collection is made from Tencel Micro Modal - a sustainable material derived from wood pulp that is 95% biodegradable, three times softer than cotton, and manufactured using a closed-loop system that reuses water.
I imagine this opening will be very popular, and I always enjoy hearing about a British brand’s expansion - especially when it’s one I personally love too!
Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.
Majority of AI shoppers still don’t trust payments - with Gen Z most cautious
It was intriguing to read this week that, despite the rapid adoption of AI ‘agents’ by consumers in product discovery, payments remain the ‘friction frontier’ preventing true end-to-end AI shopping, according to new research by the Retail Technology Show (RTS).
Out of 1,000 UK shoppers surveyed, 60% said they don’t yet trust AI agents to complete end-to-end shopping missions from discovery through to payment, while 57% have “specific concerns” around the payments issue, such as AI agents transacting without authorisation.
What was really interesting, however, was that mistrust rose to 70% among Gen Z - the first true generation of digital natives - and 69% of Millennials (the youngest of whom were the first to experience digital). Apparently, they still don’t trust AI agents to transact autonomously, preferring to retain “final control” of payment authorisations. Well, if they don’t trust it yet, then I certainly don’t!
According to Matt Bradley, founder and Event Director of RTS, as the rise of AI takes over more aspects of consumers’ day-to-day lives and shopping behaviours, “retailers are racing towards meeting rapidly evolving customer expectations.”
As yet, it’s only really scratching the surface. How soon AI end-to-end shopping becomes the norm remains to be seen, but it may beat jumping in the back of a driverless car to get to the shops!
Tom Bottomley, Contributing Editor.
