M&S
Shares have fallen by 3% as it has to extend deliveries to up to 10 days Reuters

Marks & Spencer (M&S) shares took a hit in early morning trading after it was revealed that its online delivery service was experiencing severe delays.

Shares fell by more than 3% (at the time of writing) to £481.83p, following the British retail chain's declaration that standard delivery times would take up to 10 days in the run up to Christmas. Standard delivery times are normally five days.

An M&S spokesperson told the Guardian: "Our customer is always our top priority and that is why we've extended some of our delivery options. The vast majority of orders are delivered on time. If we do miss a delivery date, we will do all we can to rectify it for the customer."

The demand around Black Friday seems to have thrown M&S off balance, with the company admitting to the newspaper that it was forced to extend delivery times as its distribution centre could not keep up.

M&S also said it is constantly reviewing its delivery options.

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