M&S Sweeps YouGov Fashion Brand Rankings

Why It Matters

The results confirm M&S’s resilience in a crowded apparel market and signal that its value‑focused strategy resonates with older shoppers, while younger consumers’ sportswear preference forces the retailer to innovate or risk losing market share.

Key Takeaways

• M&S leads YouGov apparel consideration with 52.4% consumers
• M&S tops perceived quality and value among UK fashion brands
• Millennials favor Nike, Gen Z prefers sportswear over M&S
• M&S recorded 1.6‑point consideration score increase YoY
• New “Chief Compliments Officer” aims to boost brand sentiment

Pulse Analysis

The YouGov BrandIndex survey, which canvassed over 22,000 UK adults between February 2025 and January 2026, placed Marks & Spencer at the apex of three core apparel metrics: consumer consideration, perceived quality and perceived value for money. With 52.4 % of respondents indicating they would consider M&S for clothing, the retailer outperformed traditional rivals such as NEXT, Nike and Adidas. The 1.6‑point uplift in the consideration score marks the strongest annual gain among all fashion brands, underscoring the effectiveness of M&S’s recent price‑value and quality initiatives.

A deeper generational split, however, reveals a shifting landscape. Millennials rank Nike as their top fashion brand, and Gen Z places sportswear giants Nike and Adidas ahead of M&S, reflecting a broader cultural tilt toward athleisure and performance apparel. This divergence pressures M&S to broaden its sports‑inspired offering or risk ceding younger shoppers to competitors. The trend aligns with Adidas’s reported 5 % revenue growth, driven by rising fitness participation and comfort‑first product demand, suggesting that the sportswear segment will continue to outpace traditional apparel.

M&S’s response has been both symbolic and tactical. The recently unveiled ‘Love That’ campaign, anchored by actress Gillian Anderson as the inaugural Chief Compliments Officer, aims to humanise the brand and deepen emotional connections, particularly with digitally native consumers. By foregrounding compliments and positive sentiment, the retailer hopes to translate its strong perception of quality and value into measurable loyalty among younger cohorts. If the initiative succeeds, it could provide a blueprint for legacy retailers seeking to blend heritage credibility with the experiential expectations of the next generation.