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Sparkle: Marks & Spencer hopes its Christmas advertising campaign will help boost sales
Marks & Spencer has overtaken Waitrose in the battle for middle-class shoppers.
Industry figures seen by the Telegraph show it held 4 per cent of the grocery market in the four weeks to November 3, compared with 3.9 per cent for its rival.
It is the first time outside the Christmas season that M&S has pulled ahead of Waitrose and the latest sign that the retailer has regained its shine.
M&S’s turnaround plan has been gaining momentum under boss Stuart Machin, who previously headed its food division.
Its share of the grocery market has increased from 3.76 percent in the same period last year.
However, Waitrose, owned by John Lewis Partnership, saw its share fall from just over 4 per cent last year.
After investing in larger dining rooms and launching new products, M&S is benefiting from more people in central England doing their weekly shopping with it, rather than seeing shopping there as a “treat”.
The success of the revival has led M&S to increase new store openings, with 70 to be added by 2028, including 50 independent food outlets.
It is also fighting the John Lewis department store business over the sale of clothing and homes.
M&S is enjoying a return to fashion, bringing in American-British actress Sienna Miller as the face of its clothing range to add glamor and transform its once dowdy reputation.
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