<P> Marks and Spencer, known colloquially as "Marks and Sparks", or "M&S", made its reputation in the early 20th century with a policy of only selling British - made goods (it started to back down from this policy in the 1990s .) It entered into long - term relationships with British manufacturers, and sold clothes and food under the "St Michael" brand, which was introduced in 1928 . The brand honours Michael Marks . It also accepted the return of unwanted items, giving a full cash refund if the receipt was shown, no matter how long ago the product was purchased, which was unusual for the time . </P> <P> M&S staff raised £ 5,000 to pay for a Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft called The Marksman in 1941 . </P> <P> By 1950, virtually all goods were sold under the "St Michael" label . M&S lingerie, women's clothes and girls' school uniform were branded under the "St Margaret" label until the whole range of general merchandise became "St Michael". Simon Marks, son of Michael Marks, died in 1964, after fifty - six years' service . Israel Sieff, the son - in - law of Michael Marks, took over as chairman and in 1968, John Salisse became the company Director . A cautious international expansion began with the introduction of Asian food in 1974 . M&S opened stores in continental Europe in 1975 and in Ireland four years later . </P> <P> The company put its main emphasis on quality, including a 1957 stocking size measuring system . For most of its history, it also had a reputation for offering fair value for money . When this reputation began to waver, it encountered serious difficulties . Arguably, M&S has historically been an iconic retailer of' British Quality Goods' . </P>

When did marks and spencer open in ireland
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