Store launches new parent and baby club

A town store has announced weekly parent and baby meet-ups to build connections in the community.Marks and Spencer on Lynn’s High Street will be offering morning sessions in its cafe each week starting from Tuesday, September 3.The project, called The Parent Hood, comes as the retailer unveils its first nationwide baby club which has seen four other East Anglia branches set them up including Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich, Cambridge and Colchester.

Taking place from 9.30am until 11.30am, the meet-ups are designed to support parents-to-be as well as new parents with guidance on topics like self-care, development and support.Customers can join the meet-ups through their Sparks loyalty scheme and after signing the ‘Parent Pledge’, they can get access to offers such as a free slice of cake each week when they purchase a hot drink, and 10% off the store’s range of baby grows for a year.Regional manager Jo Herd said: “Our teams cannot wait to launch our new baby and parent meet-ups in-store next month. “Becoming a parent is a fantastic experience but it’s important to have support and we want the meet-ups to really bring together the local community.”The latest stats show over 20,000 babies are born across East Anglia in a year, so I’m hoping we can raise awareness of The Parent Hood among all those new parents. “The Parent Hood is as much about the parents as the baby and it’s fantastic to be able to offer exclusive discounts and the chance to save up to £250 every year.

“I’d encourage all parents-to-be and new parents to take a look, sign up to Sparks and join the club.”Customers can sign up for Sparks in-store, online or via the M&S app.Sharry Cramond, food and loyalty marketing director, said: “If The Parent Hood existed when my children were babies, I’d have been the first person to sign up.”It’s the first of our special interest clubs and we want to make it the best baby club in the country by bringing together the very best of M&S for the UK’s incredible community of parents and make their Sparks membership even more valuable.”