M&S celebrates royal wedding with Markle & Sparkle rebrand
Marks & Spencer is to temporarily rebrand itself as part of plans to celebrate tomorrow’s royal wedding.
For one weekend only, M&S will become Markle & Sparkle with the official unveiling of the rebrand taking place this morning at the retailer’s Windsor store. In addition, M&S’s website, social media accounts and store windows in the eight Royal boroughs will rebrand to Markle & Sparkle to commemorate the occasion.
M&S stores in Kensington & Chelsea, Reading, Maidenhead, Camberley, Bracknell, Newbury, Leamington Spa, Tunbridge Wells, Swindon, Kingston Upon Thames, Lewisham, Llandudno and Sutton Coldfield will also feature specially designed Markle & Sparkle windows and décor in the traditional colours of the Union Jack,
M&S said the unveiling of the “sparkly” Markle & Sparkle branded fascia will include a traditional town crier making the announcement and a ceremonial ribbon cut performed by recently wed M&S characters Percy & Penny Pig in their wedding best.
The royal newlyweds are expected to pass-by the newly branded Markle & Sparkle Windsor store following their nuptials at St George’s Chapel tomorrow.
Sharry Cramond, marketing director for food & hospitality at M&S, said: “As a quintessentially British brand we had to do something special to mark the Royal Wedding and what better way to welcome Meghan to the family than to ‘marry’ both our names together for the weekend.
“As a retailer we’ve celebrated 34 Royal Weddings over our 134-year history, but this is the boldest idea we’ve delivered yet! We wanted to spark a smile from Harry & Meghan on their big day and capture the excitement and celebratory mood of the nation on receiving a real-life Hollywood Princess into our Royal Family!”
The retailer’s social channels will shut down this evening to enable them to undergo a special ‘makeover’.
M&S is also running “street party” style events in selected M&S cafes on Saturday where screenings of the royal wedding will be shown. The first 10 customers to join the in-store celebrations will receive a selection of British treats in an exclusively designed Royal Wedding bag. Limited edition Markle & Sparkle branded umbrellas and flags will also be given away to customers.
In addition, shoppers will be able take a picture and send their best wishes to the royal newlyweds via Markle & Sparkle selfie booths, which will be installed in all of the stores in Royal boroughs on the day. Customers will also be encouraged to share their messages with M&S on social media using the hashtag #MarkleandSparkle.
