What: M&S’s European ecommerce expansion is gaining momentum through a capital-light logistics partnership with Zalando.

Why it is important: M&S’s early results reinforce the growing importance of capital-light partnerships in cross-border ecommerce and fashion retail growth.

Marks & Spencer’s partnership with Zalando’s ZEOS logistics platform has made a strong start, supporting the retailer’s ambition to grow its international online business through a simpler and more scalable operating model. The tie-up covers fulfilment for M&S online sales across 22 European countries and began in Poland, where demand rose 22% and conversion increased 97% in the first week.

The partnership has since expanded to M&S’s largest European online markets, including France, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain. By using ZEOS, M&S has reduced delivery times and cut delivery costs by up to 58%, while returns processing has fallen from as long as 35 days to eight. M&S International managing director Mark Lemming said the partnership will help the retailer improve speed, availability and service as demand for its fashion products grows across Europe. The move builds on M&S’s existing relationship with Zalando Fulfilment Solutions, which began in 2022.

IADS Notes: M&S’s strong early results from the Zalando ZEOS rollout build directly on the strategy outlined in November 2025, when the retailer expanded its partnership with Zalando to handle continental European direct-to-consumer orders through a scalable logistics platform. The latest performance suggests that the expected benefits of faster delivery, improved returns and lower fulfilment costs are beginning to materialise. This also reinforces M&S’s wider fashion repositioning, noted in June 2026, where digital expansion, supply chain modernisation and international partnerships were central to its ambition to become a stronger fashion destination. The approach mirrors its March 2026 US launch with Nordstrom, where M&S used an established retail partner to expand internationally with lower risk. More broadly, the tie-up reflects the January 2026 industry focus on reducing costs without limiting growth through technology-led logistics, as well as the October 2025 European e-commerce context, where operational innovation and cross-border digital capability were identified as key drivers of profitability and customer experience.

Marks & Spencer and Zalando tie-up makes strong start