Just weeks after Marks & Spencer changed its approach to kidswear, the retailer has expanded its offerings to celebrate one year of The Parent Hood.

The baby membership programme has transformed shopping experiences for hundreds of thousands of families, offering substantial savings on essential items and creating welcoming spaces for new parents.

With membership numbers soaring past expectations, the programme has become one of the nation's most rapidly expanding baby clubs, providing both financial benefits and community support for families navigating early parenthood.

Following the programme's success, M&S has announced significant enhancements to membership benefits, giving parents across Britain reason to celebrate.

The retailer will now provide its 10 per cent discount on babygrows to parents with children aged up to two years, extending the original 12-month limit.

To commemorate the anniversary, members who joined before August 7 can claim complimentary full-sized layered sponge cakes from M&S Foodhalls.

Additionally, participating cafés are offering free Piccolo strawberry and banana breakfast pouches for young children, with these special treats available through the Sparks app until August 30.

Olly Murs and Amelia Tank are the faces of The Parent Hood

Weekly coffee mornings have emerged as a cornerstone of The Parent Hood's community-building efforts, with more than 30,000 members participating in these gatherings at M&S cafés nationwide.

Venues in Camberley, Leeds White Rose, and Bluewater have become particularly popular, each welcoming approximately 50 parents weekly.

The initiative has transformed M&S stores into community hubs where parents can connect while enjoying refreshments.

The Parent Hood has attracted more than 230,000 members during its inaugural year, establishing itself as one of Britain's fastest-expanding baby clubs.

'We've long been known for the hand-me-down quality of our kids' clothing'

Approximately one-third of these members purchased baby clothing from M&S for the first time through the programme, with existing customers visiting stores 50 per cent more frequently than before joining.

The membership programme has generated remarkable commercial results, contributing over £2 million in additional value to M&S, with three-quarters of sales coming from kidswear.

Over 45,000 members have utilised the introductory discount, many returning for multiple purchases.

Generating celebrity interest, M&S has welcomed Olly Murs and Amelia Tank to become the faces of The Parent Hood as they get ready to welcome their second child later this summer.

Sharry Cramond, director of loyalty, fashion, home and beauty marketing and masterbrand, celebrated the success of The Parent Hood.

She said: "Last year, we set out to create the best baby club in the country, and in just 12 months, we have exceeded our expectations, welcoming thousands of customers, both new and existing, to join our first-ever loyalty club through Sparks.

"As our founding members celebrate their little ones' first birthdays, we are delighted to be able to extend the reward proposition, supporting them in the next journey of their Parent Hood."

Director of Kidswear at M&S, Alexandra Dimitriu, added: "With a renewed stylish product offer and the introduction of our first baby club, we now hold our highest market share in kidswear in over 10 years.

"We've long been known for the hand-me-down quality of our kids' clothing, but customers are now turning to us at the start of their parenting journey and discovering what we have to offer in baby.

"Whatever your age or stage, The Parent Hood is here to support families as we continue to broaden our appeal to become more relevant, more often."

The exciting Parent Hood expansion comes as M&S restores its much-loved click-and-collect service.

After a crippling cyberattack in April, shoppers were left unable to access key parts of the supermarket's service, with disruptions to contactless payments, online orders, and mobile app use.

Finally, the retailer has returned to its normal service, having "finally rebuilt its digital muscle".