Resource created by M&S Archive.

 

This resource uses images and documents from the M&S Archive relating to changes in how we shop and retail innovation at M&S.

Learning Objectives

• Knowledge of how M&S has continued to expand and innovate
• Understanding of how products and services are designed with the user in mind
• Skills of researching and gathering evidence using primary sources

Curriculum Links

• KS1 History - Changes within living memory — comparing shopping today to when pupils’ parents/grandparents were young.
• KS2 Design & Technology - Understanding how products and services are designed with the user in mind.
• KS3 History - Industrial and Economic Change — from 19th-century retail innovations to digital commerce. Leisure and consumerism in the 20th century.

Activity & Discussion Ideas

KS1–KS2

Timeline Activity

• Pupils arrange shopping innovations from 1884 to 2021 in chronological order on a visual timeline.

Role Play

• Recreate shopping in different eras (e.g., 1884 Penny Bazaar vs. 2021 Scan & Shop) to experience how it has changed.

Compare & Contrast

• Create a table showing how shopping in 1884, 1947, 1985, and today differs in:
  • How goods are chosen
  • How they are paid for
  • How they are delivered

KS2–KS3

Interview Project

• Pupils interview older family members about their earliest memories of shopping. Compare stories to the text.

Innovation Debate

• “Has shopping really become more convenient?” Discuss.

Cause & Effect Map

• Map out what technological/social changes made each shopping method possible.

KS3–KS4

Business Analysis

• Students analyse M&S’s multi-channel strategy — why diversify? What risks and benefits are there?

Digital Transformation Study

• Explore how technology (e.g., wi-fi, QR codes, mobile payment) changed the in-store experience.

Pandemic Response Case Study

• Discuss how M&S adapted during COVID-19 and what that says about resilience in retail.