In India, Marks and Spencer has learned that small and easily overlooked details can determine whether sales are made. Take, for example, men's shirts. In the UK, only a third of M&S shirts have pockets. But in sweltering India, where jackets are required only on formal occasions, most men want a pocket on their shirt for handy storage.
For its first eight years in India, M&S, the mainstay of the British high street, paid little heed to this. Operating through an Indian franchisee, Planet Retail, M&S stocked its 16 Indian stores with apparel reflecting UK consumer tastes.
