Marks & Spencer has announced actor James Norton as the face of its Christmas 2026 advertising campaign, marking a distinct shift from its approach last year. Norton, known for his roles in the television series Grantchester and Happy Valley, signed on with the retailer around a week ago and is expected to begin filming soon, reportedly wearing a festive sweater. Industry sources suggest Norton’s deal could be close to £1 million, reflecting his rising profile, which includes a recent campaign for Giorgio Armani.
This move represents a reversal of the strategy M&S employed in its 2025 festive campaign, which centered on a product-focused and social media-driven approach featuring multiple influencer content drops. Last year’s campaign concluded with an advert showing dancers performing to the 1990s hit “Rhythm Is A Dancer” on a snowy street, rather than focusing on a single celebrity figure. The previous festive campaign also saw actress Aimee Lou Wood initially signed to front the ads but ultimately replaced as the retailer opted for a different promotional direction after filming.
M&S has also maintained a separate Christmas food campaign, which has featured Dawn French in a fairy role, although it remains unclear if this aspect will continue into the upcoming season. In recent years, the retailer’s festive marketing has included celebrity figures such as Hannah Waddingham, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Zawe Ashton, Holly Willoughby, and David Gandy.
The decision to reintroduce a high-profile face for the Christmas campaign comes amid mixed retail performance reports from the previous holiday season. According to M&S’s January financial update, strong demand in Christmas food sales, which rose by 6.6 percent in the 13 weeks leading to December 27, helped offset declines in fashion, home, and beauty sales, which fell by 2.5 percent. The company attributed the drop in non-food sales partly to the lingering effects of a cyber attack in spring 2025 that severely disrupted its online operations for six weeks. Additionally, general reductions in High Street spending last Christmas were linked to inflation and a broader cost-of-living squeeze.
Regarding the earlier campaign featuring Wood, the actress has not publicly addressed her removal from the project. An M&S spokesperson stated the company valued Wood’s energy and creativity during the early stages of the campaign but that evolving strategies and new leadership led to a stronger focus on segmented, product-driven content delivered across multiple platforms including social media, digital, outdoor, and print channels.
As preparations for the 2026 Christmas campaign advance, M&S appears to be blending traditional celebrity-led advertising with elements learned from recent social-first initiatives, aiming to connect with customers across diverse seasonal shopping moments.