Marks & Spencer has announced it will be transferring more than half of its current IT workforce to Indian outsourcing and tech giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as part of an agreement which sees the latter named M&S’ “principle technology partner”. Approximately 250 of M&S’s current 430 IT staff will now be employed by TCS, though will continue to work from the retailer’s Stockley Park, London offices, according to a company statement; meanwhile, a spokeswoman said that M&S is “not moving any additional services offshore as a result” of the deal.

The agreement means that M&S’ “core supplier services will transfer directly to TCS and the day-to-day relationship and project management of specialist suppliers will move under the control of TCS”, the retailer announced.

According to M&S CEO Steve Rowe, the company’s transformation of its technology team will save the company up to £30m annually by 2022 – making a significant contribution to Rowe’s five-year turnaround plans.

“Technology plays a huge role in this transformation – and having the right partners and model will enable us to be more agile, flexible and responsive,” he said. “Through our technology transformation program our business will be faster, simpler and more focused on achieving a seamless customer experience.”

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