The business principles enunciated by Lord Marks had their origins in the experiences of his father, Michael Marks, the founder of M&S. In 1884, the elder Marks,a Polish Jew began setting up stalls at town markets in northern England. Since he could not converse well in England, he prominently displayed the sign “Don’t Ark the price, It’s a penny” The slogan proved very popular, and the simplicity of the single fixed price allowed
Mark to give up keeping accounts and to search continually for various high-quality goods that could be sold for a penny. High turnover counterbalanced the low profit margins.