Marks & Spencer (M&S) has dramatically ramped up its "Reshaping for Growth" strategy by announcing a high-impact partnership to bring Hugo Boss to its "Brands at M&S" platform. This move, focused on a premium collection of men's underwear, loungewear, and tees, is aimed squarely at elevating M&S as a serious destination for men's style and attracting younger, brand-conscious shoppers.

The collaboration comes as M&S's plan to capture a larger share of the estimated £295 million UK branded underwear market, as projected by Kantar, a leading marketing data and analytics company . It leverages M&S's existing strength as the market leader in men’s underwear, where it already supplies one in five men.

The strategy, part of M&S's successful turnaround, involves complementing its strong own-brand with curated third-party brands like Calvin Klein. Mitch Hughes, Director of Menswear, called it "central to our strategy to deliver choice and style...in one trusted destination."

This move follows the launch of the dedicated M&S Man style platform. The challenge remains successful integration with its core value proposition and scaling up online sales, a key component of the Fashion, Home & Beauty (FHB) division which grew sales by 3.5% in the last financial year. The Hugo Boss tie-up is designed to drive the profitable sales growth underpinning the entire turnaround.