Marks & Spencer is the latest UK firm to take on the US market challenge

The story of well-known British brands looking to expand into the US is a chequered one, to say the least, which is why it is often referred to as a ‘graveyard of British dreams’.

The appeal is obvious; the US is the world’s largest economy and consumer market by a distance.  

But, from Sainsbury’s New-England-based store chain Shaw’s in the late 1980s to Tesco’s ‘Fresh & Easy’ fiasco in the early 2000s and HSBC’s disastrous acquisition of sub-prime lender Household International in 2003, the history books are littered with failed attempts by UK firms to conquer the US.  

The latest heavyweight brand to give it a whirl is Marks & Spencer, which announced its US fashion debut on 30 March by partnering with premium American fashion retailer Nordstrom.  

What is Marks & Spencer doing?

The initial launch is focused on ‘top-tier’ Nordstrom locations like New York and Seattle, the US firm’s home base. Marks says the ground was laid by the success of M&S Food, which landed in value retailer Target in 2022, where it now sells more than 30,000 bags of Percy Pigs every week.

“M&S Food - which is known for its quality, innovation and value - has prompted the opportunity to expand the global reach of M&S Fashion into stores in the US,” said M&S.

Older readers may remember that M&S tried to build a US clothing presence in the 1980s and 90s through the acquisition of Brooks Brothers, which was later sold at a loss.  

Using partners and dipping its toes in the water rather than jumping in with both feet may prove a more sensible approach.

UK companies have often underestimated the sheer competitiveness of the US and subtle cultural differences despite the shared language, which means brands do not always as travel as expected.

There is also the ‘not invented here’ label which acts as a barrier to accepting external ideas or resisting the ‘British way’ of doing things, which ultimately scuppers any chance of success.

However, there are success stories, particularly beyond the consumer sphere, and they are often hidden in plain sight and considered to be American rather than British.

Trojan-horse acquisition-led success

A good example of a roaring British success is plumbing, heating and ventilation distributer Ferguson, formerly known as Wolseley, which today generates virtually all its revenue in the US.

The UK part of the business was sold to private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in 2021 to focus on the US market and a year later Ferguson moved its primary stock market listing to the New York Stock Exchange.  

A similar success story is equipment hire specialist Ashtead which completed its transformation into a US company after officially re-branding to Sunbelt Rentals and moving its listing to the US in March 2026.

Over 96% of the group’s operating profit is generated in North America and the company has become the second largest national player with around 11% market share.  

Sunbelt Rentals is benefiting from the tailwinds of the US infrastructure boom and onshoring trend as manufacturing migrates back to the US.

The company has been a ‘serial acquirer’, typically buying 40 to 60 small regional firms every year, allowing it to build scale and consolidate a fragmented market.

The key to the success of both Ferguson and Ashtead is that they operated local brands which were already perceived as local. Most Americans, including Ashtead’s workforce have no idea the company was originally British, which means it has avoided the “foreign interloper” tag which has plagued other UK firms.

Computer chip designer ARM Holdings, once part of the FTSE 100 before being sold to Japanese firm Softbank for £24 billion in 2026, is arguably one of the UK’s most successful exports.

Chips powered by its energy efficient architecture run on every Apple iPhone and other smart phone devices in the US and across the world.

The ‘stealth’ British retailer

The self-proclaimed ‘King of Trainers’ JD Sports Fashion has built a strong position in the US by buying established US retailers and selectively re-branding to JD-badged stores in premier locations like Times Square in New York.

JD is also building brand presence as well as stores with 5.1 million active loyalty members in the US.