Marks & Spencer adds self-checkouts to changing rooms

Marks & Spencer is adding self-service checkouts to changing rooms across its 180 clothing stores to prevent shoppers from having to queue twice. 

It is planning to have the new self-service checkouts installed in more than 100 of its stores by early 2028, according to The Telegraph.

The technology will be installed across its entire clothing estate once Marks & Spencer has completed a wider store revamp.

Sacha Berendji, Operations Director at Marks & Spencer, said: “We’d like customers to be able to walk straight into the fitting room with no queue, try on what they’ve chosen, then pay there and just walk out.”

He added that M&S was currently adding one self checkout per changing room area, and would add more based on demand from customers.

The checkouts have already been installed across 28 of the retailer’s recently refurbished sites, including its Fosse Park flagship in Leicester.

It comes despite warnings from M&S Chairman Archie Norman that theft amongst middle-class customers was “creeping in” due to faulty self-checkouts.

However, Berendji said M&S would have staff “hosting” changing room areas to make sure customers did not leave without paying.

He told The Telegraph: “Shoplifting is a major problem in this country, but there are things that we’re all doing to make sure we can mitigate some of those losses.”

“This is all about choice. If you want to be served by a colleague, that’s absolutely OK and you always can be. But if people want to serve themselves, they can do that instead.”

The changes come under a wider revamp of Marks & Spencer’s store estate.

Earlier this year, the retailer said it aims to rotate from a base of 247 stores across the UK to 180 higher quality, higher productivity full line stores that sell its clothing, beauty, home and food ranges.