M&S to grow market share in kidswear with baby club launch

As part of Marks & Spencer’s mission to "broaden its appeal for families", the retailer has today launched its first-ever baby club – ‘the parent hood’.

Family shoppers at M&S have gone up 24% in Food, so the business is doubling down on its intent to continue to broaden its appeal for families and expand their shop into the Home & Clothing categories.

With the UK baby 0-2 clothing market worth almost £900 million each year, the retailer has identified ‘baby’ as a key enabler to unlock further growth. This renewed focus on Baby has already driven double-digit sales growth in the category in 2023/24, with M&S now selling more than 1.1 million baby grows every year.

Free to join, ‘the parent hood’ offers Sparks members the opportunity to save up to £250 each year with exclusive offers. For example, by joining M&S’ baby club and signing the ‘Parent Pledge’, members immediately receive 10% off M&S’ entire range of quality baby grows for 12 months.

From birthing bag essentials, choosing the right bra, nutrition for parent and baby, styling and more, ‘the parent hood’ aims to bring together trusted value and a sense of community.

In 2021, M&S launched its ‘Brands at M&S’ platform to offer a range of carefully curated third-party brand partners, one of which is Mamas & Papas, which will be part of M&S’ baby club.

Alexandra Dimitriu, Director of Kidswear at M&S, said: "Our customers trust us for the hand-me-down quality of our kids clothing and with our growing style credentials and a presence in so many communities, there is so much opportunity to grow our market share through appealing to new customers and introducing existing customers to more of what we have to offer.

"As a mum, I’m incredibly excited to be launching M&S’ first baby club - the proposition we’ve created by remaining laser-focused on what baby – and parents - need, when they need it, is something I wish I had access to when I was a member of the 2am club!"

Sharry Cramond, Director of Loyalty, Food Marketing and Masterbrand, added: "The M&S baby club is the first of our special interest clubs for Sparks members, and we have big ambitions to make it the very best baby club in the country by bringing together the very best of M&S – from food, to clothing, to our cafes – and be a one-stop shop for the UK’s incredible community of parents."

M&S isn't the only multi-category retailer to be investing further into the untapped baby market. Earlier this month, Boots launched a clothing range for babies, ‘Maybe Baby’, with broadcaster and new mum Mollie King.