M&S sets out stall for big girls

MARKS & Spencer plans to take on Arcadia's Evans chain in the battle for big women. The retail giant is launching a dedicated clothing range for outsize ladies, starting at size 20 and going up to size 28.

The range is internally branded as 'Plus', but may have a different name when it launches this autumn. It will initially be rolled out to 50 stores. Strong demand is expected. Larger women have traditionally complained about the lack of fashionable and sexy items available, and Marks hopes to fill this gap.

Some of the garments will be the same style as the main womenswear range. M&S shares have climbed from 235p to 397p since October on recovery hopes. Last week it received acclaim for its preview collection of the autumn/winter womenswear range.