What a joy to see D-ID's avatars in action and on such a grand stage! 🤩 Hats off to Stuart Machin and the innovators at Marks and Spencer for recognizing the value of #generativeai in overcoming language barriers and enabling global communications. We're sure the local audience appreciated hearing your digital double's greeting in Spanish. 🗣️ Di Mayze Tomer Zuker Matthew Kershaw SUMIT KUMAR GHOSH Stuart Demmery Daniel Klotz
I don’t often present at external events, but when I was invited to do a fireside talk at the AECOC Congreso in Madrid - knowing many of our incredible supplier partners and retailers I admire in food and fashion would be there - I couldn't turn it down. Spain is one of my favourite countries. I love the culture, the history, the incredible fresh food and the fashion – that’s why I go there every year for my holiday. Spanish retail always inspires me – I can’t help but visit stores when I’m out here, and think about how we can bring some of that magic back to M&S. Because at M&S, Spain is one of our favourite countries too. Around 20% of our Food products are sourced from Spain and I know more than anyone how well they resonate with our customers. From our grapes and easy peeler oranges to our serrano ham croquettes, gazpacho soup, ginger shot and breakfast smoothie, these are just a few examples of products our customers love. I even took my favourite Spanish product on stage with me – the Grupo Cacaolat chocolate drink – launching in M&S stores soon! I talk a lot about the M&S magic – our trademark quality and innovation – and we can’t deliver this magic without our supplier partners. I say ‘supplier partners’ for a reason – they’re not just ‘suppliers’. We don’t believe in going out to tender all the time as that's too short-term in nature. Instead, we’re focused on building longstanding, 50-50 partnerships rooted in trust, quality and innovation - where both sides benefit. I met with AMC NATURAL, Making it possible and AMFRESH Group, and also NOEL - with whom we’ll soon be celebrating 20 years of partnership. It was amazing to hear the affection for M&S and be reminded of what we stand for to people here. As CEO, I’m always curious and learning every day, and I encourage that mindset across all colleagues at M&S. It’s no different this week - after the conference, I travelled to A Coruña where I had the most fantastic time with Óscar García Maceiras and José María Alvarez from the Inditex team, visiting stores and their offices. It reminded me what a small world we live in and how we can all learn and be inspired by each other. Spain – thank you for an action-packed few days. I’m returning to the UK full of inspiration and ideas for how we can bring even more magic to our customers. 📸Pics in the comments!