A subsidiary of online multi-brand retail platform Unbound Group, Hotter Shoes has recently been transformed under a new management team to become a digitally-led retailer of comfort shoes.
Its partnership with M&S sees Hotter launch on M&S.com today (17 February) with an initial offering of 32 products that will increase to 75 available directly via M&S.com.
The specially curated Hotter range for M&S.com will be centred around comfort and active footwear and includes the comfort brand’s Gore-Tex range, Unbound Group says, adding both women’s and men’s footwear ranges will be available on the Brands at M&S platform.
Brands at M&S initially launched for M&S’s 22m clothing and home customers last spring as part of the retailer’s plan under its MS2 division to curate a platform of brands that are relevant for its consumers and encourages them to shop more frequently online.
The UK fashion, food and homewares retailer said in May 2020 it would accelerate a number of changes within the business after taking a 75% sales hit on clothing sales during the coronavirus lockdown – with plans to bring in third-party clothing brands, and introduce a faster, near-sourcing supply chain.
Under its ‘Never the Same Again’ agenda, M&S said guest brands will be introduced online and in larger stores in a bid to broaden appeal and grow online sales.
Albaray, Celtic & Co, Craghoppers, FatFace, Frugi, and Jones Bootmaker joined M&S’s third-party brand roster in August, while the retailer took a 25% stake in eco-conscious womenswear brand Nobody’s Child towards the end of last year.
M&S’s investment in Nobody’s Child came a little over a year after the retailer chose it as the first third-party clothing brand to be sold on its website.
