M&S Direct targets £500m sales as it expands to cover 80 nations

Published on Tuesday 6 October 2009 21:32

CONSUMERS from Mongolia to Lebanon can now get Marks & Spencer underwear delivered to their door after the retailer announced it was increasing its international reach.

M&S unveiled plans to offer a delivery service to 73 more countries as it looks to tap into 5.5 million potential overseas customers, including UK expats yearning for a reminder of home.

Seven countries already receive deliveries as part of a trial launched last November and the firm boasts that it has since sold enough underpants “to cover the modesty of every citizen in Liechtenstein” – an ambition that could be fulfilled, as the tiny, land-locked nation is now eligible for the service.

The expansion to cover countries from Albania to Vietnam is part of the retailer’s plan to grow its M&S Direct sales to 500 million by the next financial year.

The retailer said the large expat communities in France and Spain had shown an appetite for bed linen, while school uniforms had proved popular in Germany. Ladies’ underwear was the most popular line among the existing international markets, except in the United States, where men’s pants were more popular.

M&S Direct boss Dave Hughes said: “The M&S brand is synonymous with quality – and welcomed by expats and international shoppers alike.”