M&S offers £10 reward as it targets Bank Holiday rush for schoolwear and autumn fashion

The retailer is offering 25 million Sparks members £10 to spend at M&S when they spend £50 on fashion over the Bank Holiday weekend

Marks & Spencer is offering millions of customers a £10 reward this Bank Holiday weekend as the retailer looks to capitalise on the annual rush for school uniforms and the first significant wave of autumn fashion spending.

From Thursday, August 27, until Monday, August 31, members of the retailer’s Sparks loyalty scheme who spend at least £50 on qualifying fashion will receive £10 in their Sparks wallet.

The promotion is open to M&S's 25 million Sparks members and covers womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, lingerie, footwear, accessories and jewellery. Customers do not have to spend the £50 in a single transaction and can accumulate qualifying purchases across the five day period.

For M&S, the timing is significant. The August Bank Holiday has become an important point in the retail calendar, sitting at the intersection of two valuable periods for the high street: the final preparations for the new school year and the beginning of the autumn wardrobe changeover.

Research cited by the retailer suggests British shoppers spend an average of £116.95 each year on school uniform and supplies. At M&S, schoolwear accounted for six of its ten bestselling products during the equivalent period last year.

It is a market in which the retailer has long enjoyed considerable strength. School uniform brings families into stores at precisely the point when parents are also beginning to consider clothes for the colder months, giving M&S an opportunity to encourage spending across several departments.

The company says almost three quarters of British adults buy new clothes in preparation for the season ahead, while 53 per cent begin thinking about updating their wardrobes before summer has ended.

Early indications suggest that transition is already under way.

M&S says its £50 Contrast Piped Funnel Neck Windbreaker Jacket and £36 Cotton Rich Side Stripe Straight Leg Joggers from its latest Love That collection have proved particularly popular.

Its £30 Mid Rise Barrel Jeans are also among the retailer's bestselling denim styles, while searches for denim are increasing across both womenswear and menswear.

Knitwear is beginning its seasonal return too. The £26 Funnel Neck Slim Fit Cardigan with Wool is among the layering pieces attracting customers, while M&S says its £95 Cashmere Crew Neck Button Front Cardigan, available in nine colours, continues to perform strongly.

The promotion is therefore more than a conventional Bank Holiday discount. Rather than reducing prices across a department, M&S is using its loyalty programme to encourage customers to consolidate spending with the retailer while giving them an incentive to return.

Customers must scan their Sparks card when shopping in stores or sign into their Sparks account online. Once £50 of qualifying fashion purchases has been recorded during the promotional period, £10 will be added to their Sparks wallet.

New customers who join Sparks during the promotion will also be eligible.

Sharry Cramond, Marketing and Sparks Director at M&S, said the offer was intended to reward purchases many households were already planning.

“Whether it's school uniforms for the new term, everyday essentials or a new season wardrobe refresh, we know many customers are already planning these purchases. This is our way of making those shops even more rewarding and giving customers something back.”

There is, however, a wait before the reward can be spent. The £10 will become available following a 14 day pending period, allowing for any returns customers choose to make.

For a retailer that has spent recent years working to restore the relevance of its clothing business, the promotion also demonstrates the increasingly important role of Sparks.

Rather than treating the loyalty scheme simply as a vehicle for occasional offers, M&S can use its considerable membership to influence when and where customers spend.

And with 25 million members potentially eligible this weekend, the retailer is putting that reach to work at one of the high street's most commercially important moments before Christmas.