Ma Za and the End of Empire?
Marks and Spencer in Hong Kong
Paul Jackson
Leigh Sparks
Abstract
Marks and Spencer (M&S) has been in Hong Kong in various guises for many years. Its long-standing, original export business was turned into an in-company subsidiary shop operation in the late 1980s. A decade later, M&S was affected badly by both external and internal crises. This resulted in an attempt in 2001 to sell off the Hong Kong business as a franchise, but there were no acceptable offers. This paper considers the case study of M&S in Hong Kong, within the context of the literature on retail internationalisation. The paper concludes that M&S in Hong Kong illustrates a number of the main issues associated with the strategic and operational management of international retail activities.
Key words
Retailing, Internationalisation, Hong Kong, UK, Marks and Spencer
