Marks and Spencer pivots from heritage retailer to data-driven operator

In its latest annual results, the retailer reported sales exceeding £17.4 billion, dedicating a significant portion of its budget to refining the plumbing of its business. This includes pricing, waste reduction, and personalization tools now utilized by 11,000 employees, including every store manager. According to retail technology veteran Claudio B. Landsberg, the company’s strength lies in its refusal to chase fleeting trends, focusing instead on building a clean, connected data layer that makes long-term growth possible.

Landsberg notes that the true competitive moat for a legacy brand is not the visible feature but the invisible infrastructure. By investing where it compounds, the firm is effectively outmaneuvering digital-first brands that prioritize speed over stability. For M&S, the experimentation phase has concluded; the current mandate is to scale only those technologies that demonstrably improve the bottom line and operational efficiency.