Marks & Spencer to add self-service checkouts to fitting rooms

British department store retailer Marks & Spencer is in the process of adding self-service checkouts to its fitting rooms in order to create a smoother transaction process.

“We’d like customers to be able to walk straight into the fitting room with no queue, try on what they’ve chosen then pay there and just walk out,” Marks & Spencer operations director, Sacha Berendij, told the Telegraph, to which the news was confirmed.

Benerdij stated that the retailer was initially planning to add one of the checkouts per changing room area, and would increase the number depending on demand.

The current plan is to introduce self-service checkouts in more than 100 of its stores by early 2028, and eventually expand through the entire clothing estate of the company. Around 28 recently refurbished stores already house the new checkout feature.

To avoid the threat of theft, Berendij said stores would have staff accompanying the changing room areas to ensure payment was processed.

He continued: “Shoplifting is a major problem in this country, but there are things that we’re all doing to make sure we can mitigate some of those losses.”

The changes come as part of a wider store refurbishment plan at Marks & Spencer, particularly targeting a refresh of its larger stores and addressing categories such as clothing and home.

Alongside a series of store openings throughout the UK, the retailer has made a number of regional investments across its store estate, all with the mission of becoming “the UK’s leading omnichannel retailer”.