M&S Cans Background Music In All Its Stores

Marks & Spencer is abolishing piped music in all of its 300 clothing and home stores.

The company has recently acquired a new boss, Steve Rowe, who indicated his aim was to encourage original customer, "Mrs M&S", to return to the shop, fearing she may have felt left out of its recent revamps and, as a consequence, stopped shopping there.

It seems the abolition of piped music is one of his first efforts to encourage the more mature shopper back to his stores.

A company spokesman told Sky News in a statement: "We're focused on putting the customer at the heart of everything we do, this decision is the result of extensive research and feedback from our customers and colleagues."

Pipedown, which campaigns for "freedom from piped music", is delighted with the news that, from today, M&S will be a muzak-free zone.

Nigel Rodgers, who started the organisation 20 years ago when he was in his mid-30s, said the group had been urging M&S to rethink its policy since it was introduced 10 years ago "about the time its sales started falling, coincidentally".

The company has never had piped music in its food shops

Mr Rodgers said: "Piped music alienates more people than it charms, including probably the majority of people over the age of 45 - the age group of many M&S shoppers.

"It's the hellish ubiquity of piped music that so many people object to - and, by the way, it's not just older people who can't stand it. Violinist Nicola Benedetti once tweeted how she hated being force-fed music."

He puts the trend for piped music down to psychology professor Adrian North from Heriot Watt University, who is also a keen amateur musician.

The professor combined his two loves to produce research into the connection between personality and musical taste.

However, Nigel Rodgers disputes the findings and says the resultant fashion of using music to persuade people to buy is, in fact, counter-productive.

"It's a false science," he insists. "It drives people away from the shops, not towards the tills."

The music licensing company PRS for Music said M&S stands to save tens of thousands of pounds a year as a result of turning off commercial music, which costs around £1,600 a year per 10,000 metres of shop floor space.

Mr Rowe unveiled a turnaround plan for the high street stalwart last week, announcing it was his "top priority" to get clothing sales back on track.

He said he will cut everyday prices for nearly a third - 30% - of its clothing ranges, while reducing promotions and clearance sales.