Marks & Spencer Returns to Poland, Opts for Online Sales via Zalando

Marks & Spencer is making a comeback in Poland, but with a significantly different strategy than before. After a nine-year hiatus, the British retailer will offer its products to Polish consumers exclusively through online channels, eschewing physical storefronts.

The company plans to leverage its partnership with the e-commerce giant Zalando. Marks & Spencer will entrust order fulfillment to Zalando's E-commerce Operating System (ZEOS), which handles warehousing, delivery, and customer returns. This move aims to streamline operations and increase the availability and efficiency of its services across Europe.

This new business model was initially tested in Poland starting in November 2025. The pilot program yielded impressive results, including a 22% surge in demand for Marks & Spencer products and a conversion rate increase of over 97%. Furthermore, the company managed to reduce delivery costs by 58% and significantly speed up the returns process, shrinking it from up to 35 days to a maximum of 8 days.

Buoyed by the success of the Polish trial, Marks & Spencer and Zalando are expanding this collaboration to 22 European markets, including major countries like Germany, France, Spain, and the Netherlands. This strategy allows Marks & Spencer to manage inventory from a single pool of products and reach customers across various nations without establishing separate logistical infrastructures, enhancing both product accessibility and service quality.