Marks & Spencer Plc, commonly known as Marks & Spencer and traded as MKS on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty products, home products and food products. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index..
The company was founded in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in Leeds. M&S currently has 959 stores across the UK, including 615 that only sell food products, and through its television advertising, asserts the exclusive nature and luxury of its food and beverages. It also offers an online food delivery service through a joint venture with Ocado.
In 1998, the company became the first British retailer to make a pre-tax profit of over £1 billion. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine bombed the Oxford Street store of Marks & Spencer in London on 18 July 1969. The M&S company archive is held in the Michael Marks Building at the University of Leeds. The archive has permanent museum-style displays and hosts temporary exhibitions.
M&S share price launched at 169p in 1988.