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Teachers' Notes

Learning Objectives 

  • Knowledge – know why store design is important for customers and businesses. 
  • Understanding – understand what store design means. 
  • Skills - Identify features of M&S store design. 

Curriculum Links 

KS2 Design & Technology - Evaluate and improve: Identify strengths and weaknesses of a store layout. 

KS3 Design & Technology - User-centred design: Designing for accessibility, comfort, and flow. Product and environment interaction. 

KS3&4 Geography - Economic activity and the distribution of goods and services. Urban land use and economic change, retail development in towns/cities. 

KS3&4 Business Studies - Marketing mix (Place, Promotion) – how store design influences buying behaviour. Customer experience as a factor in competitiveness. 

Discussion and Activity Ideas 

Key Stage 1  

  • Talk about what makes shopping ‘easy’ or ‘fun’ – colours, lights, space, smells – and why it’s important to think about everyone, including wheelchair users or parents with prams. 
  • Design your dream shop – what would it look like, what special features would it have? 

Key Stage 2 

  • Store Layout Challenge – Pupils design a floor plan for a store, using principles from the M&S example (wide aisles, clear signage, sections), and label it with reasons for each choice. 
  • Discuss why M&S places fresh fruit and vegetables at the entrance. What message does that give? How does it compare to other shops you know? 

Key Stage 3 

  • Mood Board Project – Students create a digital or physical mood board for a store, selecting colours, lighting styles, and display ideas to match a chosen theme or design brief (e.g. family-friendly, luxury, eco-friendly). 
  • What does M&S mean by “the soul of a fresh market, with the mind of a supermarket”? 
  • Debate: “The most important part of store design is navigation, not decoration.” 

Key Stage 4 

  • Retail Design Proposal – In groups, students design a new M&S store section (e.g., a pop-up area for a seasonal event) and create a short pitch explaining how it would improve customer experience and sales. 
  • Analyse: ‘How does M&S store design contribute to brand identity and sales?’ Link responses to the marketing mix and customer loyalty.