Marks & Spencer expands overseas with 46 websites

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Marks & Spencer has almost doubled the number of countries in which it will sell its clothes and homeware as it seeks to capitalise on the boom in online shopping.

The retailer, which is pushing ahead with its latest turnaround attempt, launched 46 new websites in countries including Argentina, Fiji, Nepal and Uzbekistan. It will now have a digital presence in more than 100 markets allowing millions of customers to buy items such as its bestselling Sienna Straight Leg jeans.

The move comes after the chain vowed to make a radical break with the past under the slogan “never the same again” almost a year ago.

Insiders have said they do not want the company to return to the “old system” pre-pendemic, when only a fraction of the retailer’s clothes were sold over the internet and none of its food. The company reported a 75pc increase in e-commerce sales abroad at its most recent half-year results. It said the international expansion was relatively inexpensive and it can easily adjust the plans depending on how many orders are coming in each county.

M&S owns half of Ocado Retail, the online supermarket, and has been selling groceries through the platform since September.

Paul Friston, international director, said: “Launching in an additional 46 markets means we can now reach a number of new customers who can purchase online with M&S for the first time as well as enabling us to explore underlying demand without significant upfront investment.”

The full list of countries to have M&S websites: