Marks and spencer

There are plenty of observers who will claim that Marks & Spencer is dying, and I'm inclined to agree. I'm not suggesting that the retail monolith is going bust, or is about to be bought by Wal-Mart and rolled into one brand with Asda. It's just that the old M&S is dying and a new child is taking its place.Signs that nature has been taking its course have been apparent over the past couple …

…at the niche end, which may be why there have been indications that the St Michael brand is no longer sacrosanct.But it can't have it both ways. Bland faith won't do - M&S is a store in search of a role. Its challenge seems to be that the likes of young fogeyette, Petronella Wyatt, writing in The Spectator, is its biggest, breathless fan. I think that tells us all we need to know.