By Sam Washington, Business Presenter
Marks and Spencer has been forced to delay online deliveries after its distribution centre could not keep up with orders.
The high street giant was caught out by Black Friday - an American post-Thanksgiving shopping spree tradition rapidly gaining popularity in the UK.
The share price has fallen 3% as investors fear overall sales will be affected.
M&S saw a lift in orders throughout a four-day day period of discounting which began on 28 November to coincide with Black Friday.
Shoppers who have recently bought Christmas presents through the M&S website now face a nervous wait to see if they will arrive in time.
Social media is alight with complaints from customers after it emerged shoppers have been prevented from making in-store click-and-collect orders for the next day, while standard deliveries to home addresses - normally taking three to five days - are taking up to 10 days.
The firm was also temporarily forced to withdraw next-day delivery to homes, although this has now been reinstated.
The store has said it is reviewing its delivery options every hour, adding: "Our customers will always be our top priority."
The hiccup will be embarrassing for the firm, which has stated online sales are the central plank in the strategy to turn around nearly a decade of shrinking market share in the clothing business.
The pre-Christmas shopping rush is a key period for retailers, not least M&S which reported a 2.9% fall in like-for-like sales in the six months to the end of September last month.
The retailer has spent £1bn on improving its IT and distribution systems.
It hoped to be able to process one million items a day by the end of this year through its 900,000 square feet of distribution centre in Castle Donington.
The launch of the new website in April this year has also suffered problems with many shoppers complaining about its layout, and having to re-register their details.
M&S is trying to overhaul its clothing range under the helm of John Dixon, head of non-food operations, and Belinda Earl, the new style director.
Despite the problems facing the retailer, M&S chief executive Marc Bolland remains upbeat, insisting "things are now coming together" for the firm, highlighting a growing online business and enhanced profit margins.
Complaints from customers about the garments has fallen 20% this year according to M&S.
But while shoppers may have less cause to gripe, investors are expressing their displeasure over the recent news of delivery delays.
The share price has fallen by more than 3% to 481p. This sell off comes despite a recovery from the low of 380p in October.
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