Resource created by M&S Archive.

This resource is intended to provide a broad picture of the development of M&S innovations, using selected items from the M&S Archive's collection of images. The overall aim of innovation-related resources is to show changes in the history of the company, and how these link to social history and world events. 

Curriculum Links

• History: 21st Century 
• Geography: Human Geography 
• Design & Technology: Product Design 
• Business Studies 
• Economics 

Learning Objectives

• Knowledge of when and how self-service shopping was introduced and what preceded it.
• Understanding of the reasons that a major high street retailer pioneered such innovative practices in the 1940s
• Improved skills of analysing archive photos to identify the differences between then and now

Discussion and Activity Ideas

KS2/3 Enterprise Learning

• Today we’re used to being able to walk around a shop and choose what we want, we 'serve ourselves' - self service. What do you think it was like to not be able to do that? How would our behaviour have been different? 

KS2/3 Geography

• Map where the foods we now commonly find in supermarkets come from. Think about why and how they have become more available. 

KS2/3 Business Studies

• Has technology improved self service shopping? If so, how? If not, how not? 
• Think about all the advantages of self service shops in 1947 and today, to both customers and retailers.  And what are the disadvantages? 

KS2/3 History - 21st Century

• Make a list of food items we can buy easily now that wouldn’t have been available in 1947. 

KS3 Economics

• Imagine shopping for the family in 1900, 1945 and 2026:
  • What kind of shops would there be?
  • Who would do the shopping?
  • Where would the shops be?
  • How would you get to them? 
  • What would you need to take with you?
  • How would you pay?