M&S to trial international Jaeger areas in stores, launches denim

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Mar 27, 2022

M&S is expanding the Jaeger brand that it bought out of administration last year into 14 more of its “destination stores” across the UK and Ireland. And it has plans to take it to international stores too, while also moving it into denim for the first time under its ownership.

Jaeger is already availed in over 80 countries online and later this year, the retailer will start store trials for the label in key international markets – Dubai, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

The “next chapter” for the brand comes after it has seen “an encouraging early customer response in the UK and globally for the digital-first brand” that it relaunched for AW21. 

And that response seems to have come despite the higher price points for the collection. In fact, it said the label’s “reputation for wool coats continued with 250,000 coats sold throughout Autumn and Winter”, while a vintage-inspired black and white collared dress at £125 was a bestseller. 

The company has been running a UK store trial for ‘new Jaeger’ since October, as well as selling it online and seems pleased with the customer response.

The new stores being added during April and May are Bath, Braehead, Brooklands, Cheshunt, Dundrum, Hedge End, Kensington, Kingston, Leamington Spa, Lisburn, Manchester, Oxford, Pantheon and York - Vangarde.

They join the initial collection of trial stores that will continue to sell the brand. It’s already in Bluewater, Camberley, Cheshire Oaks, Cribbs Causeway, Edinburgh, Grafton Street - Dublin, Handforth, Harrogate, Kings Road, Marble Arch, Newcastle and Stratford. 

The company is keen to stress that Jaeger “is an independent brand supported by the ecosystem of M&S” and it’s interesting that the spaces in M&S stores that are set to open from next month will be in “locations where it formerly had a strong presence, including Kingston, Oxford and York”, as well as completely new towns where Jaeger didn’t previously have stores.

Within the new stores, M&S is creating bespoke special brand sections, featuring a curated collection of products, changing rooms, seating areas and till points, as well as dedicated ‘Jaeger style experts’ on hand to assist customers. 

The new expansion comes as the retailer rolls out its Spring 22 collection, which is “a celebration of Jaeger's achievement to offer a contemporary range of collectable items that embody effortless elegance, British modernity, and the creation of “tomorrow’s vintage”. 

The collection launch sees the the return of The Trench (£250), described as “a quintessential Jaeger design”. But there’s also newness with the label debuting in denim for the first time in the M&S era with Rye, a mid-rise straight jean and the high-waisted Chelsea Jean made with 80% less water in the finishing process. That’s an obvious move for M&S with denim being one of its hero categories and the retailer’s huge volumes giving it a loud voice in the supply chain.

The company said the introduction of the denim range “adds an extra layer to the brand’s ongoing pursuit for versatile dressing”.

Jaeger MD Fiona Lambert said: “We’ve re-imagined the brand, keeping Jaeger’s values but designing for today’s lifestyle. We have been delighted with the response from customers; from those who have cherished the brand for years, to those who have recently discovered our new collections. With our dedicated store environment within M&S growing, we can’t wait to invite customers to meet our team of style experts and experience the timeless quality and effortless elegance of Jaeger products, both in store and on M&S.com.”