MARKS and Spencer is a leading British retailer selling food, clothing and homeware to customers around the world.
The brand has been on our high streets for more than 100 years and over that time has changed dramatically, with hundreds of new stores opening and many changes of ownership.
Who owns Marks and Spencer?
The Marks & Spencer Group is a publicly listed company on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) with a raft of shareholders.
It is currently in the FTSE 250 Index — a list of the largest companies on LSE that are ranked from 101st to 250th.
M&S Group's revenue this year is already higher than it has been any year over the past decade — £11.9million — signifying a significant turnaround in the retailer's fortunes.
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Who is the CEO of Marks and Spencer?
Stuart Machin is a British businessman and the chief executive officer (CEO) of Marks and Spencer.
Machin previously ran M&S' food business and became CEO on May 25, 2022 after his predecessor Steve Rowe stepped down.
He opened up about how he went from earning £3.80 an hour in a shelf-stacking job to bringing in £800,000 a year without attending university.
Over 30 years ago, when he was 16, Stuart landed his first job as a shelf-stacker at Sainsbury’s at Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre, in Kent.
Machin spent his £3.80 an hour on records until he was 17, before he started saving up to buy his first car.
While he had planned to go to university and train to become a religious studies teacher, he decided against it.
The boss told KentOnline: “After finishing my A-levels, I was offered a place at university, but at the last minute I changed my mind and decided to stick with retail.
“Put simply, I loved the excitement retail offered. Serving and selling to customers, working in a team, the opportunity to progress.
“My job gave me purpose, I worked hard, and took every overtime shift I was offered that involved collecting trolleys, working on the checkouts and filling the shelves overnight."
By the age of 21, Stuart's pals were getting their first jobs and he was already running his own department.
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Seven years later he was a director of a store that made £100million in sales.
In the years that followed he went on to work with other retail giants like Tesco and Asda — taking on more senior roles when he spent a decade in Australia.
He moved back to the UK in 2017 and was headhunted by M&S within a year.
The company was understood to be struggling at the time, and Stuart helped get it back on track.
In May 2022 he landed the top job as CEO and reportedly earns a mouth-watering £800,000 a year.
But even today, he still loves parts of the first job he did 30 years ago.
Stuart added: “I loved the buzz of retail and still do.
"Interacting with customers, working with some great colleagues. It grew my confidence and felt worthwhile and fulfilling."
How old is Marks and Spencer?
Marks and Spencer’s was founded in 1884 between Michel Marks and Thomas Spencer, making the company 139 years old as of 2023.
The company was originally set up in Kirakate Market, Leeds, but soon expanded across the UK thanks to a £300 investment in staff and property.
By 1900 Marks & Spencer had expanded to include 36 Penny Bazaar outlets, including 12 high street stores with the rest being market stalls.
As of 2023, the company has more than 1,470 stories across 57 countries and 50 international websites, with 1,064 stores located in the UK.
