M&S sells Ann Summers open-crotch knickers: outrage meets retail strategy

Marks & Spencer has started selling Ann Summers lingerie on its website, including a thong with an open crotch, prompting a wave of online criticism. Some commentators have called the item "tawdry" or linked it to sadomasochism, but retail experts say the move is less surprising than it appears.

The Ann Summers range, which also includes bras and slips, now sits alongside other third-party brands such as Pour Moi and Calvin Klein. M&S first began offering external brands in clothing five years ago, with underwear among the categories.

Catherine Shuttleworth, chief executive of retail consultancy Savvy, says this is part of a broader strategy to enter areas outside the company's core. "It's just a little bit more eye-catching," she adds. Shuttleworth describes M&S underwear as a "national obsession" and notes that in 2024 shoppers under 30 accounted for a third of underwear sales, double the share in 2023. She believes the Ann Summers partnership could help keep that demographic engaged, pointing out that Ann Summers is a byword for sex.

M&S said in a statement that its "brands at M&S" strategy is about giving customers more choice through carefully selected third-party brands that complement its own offer. Ann Summers, it said, helps broaden the underwear and nightwear range.

Shuttleworth also stresses the publicity effect: "It doesn't really matter whether they sell any crotchless pants or not, we're all going to be talking about it." She adds that people might go online to look and then decide to buy other essentials.

M&S has sold underwear since the 1920s and fitted bras since 1947. It introduced pre-shrunk cotton underwear in 1965, and by 1976 knickers were its biggest export, with nearly four million pairs sold internationally each year. Styles have shifted over time, from hip-huggers in the 1960s to thongs at their peak in the mid-2000s. In 2016, the retailer sold 60 million pairs a year, with Brazilian-cut briefs taking a 10% share. By 2021, thongs had returned, driven by low-rise jeans. The current bestseller is a five-pack of white full briefs.

Lorraine Topper, a researcher at The Underpinnings Museum, says the outrage is disproportionate because M&S has always followed fashion trends in lingerie. She notes that open-crotch underwear was normal for women before the 1920s, so "this type of garment isn't quite as scandalous as we might first think."