Director of clothing to quit M&S

Marks & Spencer director of clothing David Norgove is to stand down from his position after results released today pointed to a poor performance in clothing sales.

This was the third consecutive quarter without any gains in the clothing market at a time when shareholders were expecting an improvement in the run-up to the holiday period.

In the seven weeks to January 10, like-for-like sales, which strip out sales from new stores were 2.3% lower than a year earlier.

Clothing sales dropped 3% due to a weak performance in certain key womenswear areas, particularly knitwear, coats and suits.

Homeware was down 4%.

Chief executive, Roger Holmes, said that he would expect the new person to take a fresh look at the M & S approach but that the company will continue to implement its present strategy.

Last week, rival retailer Next announced Next strong sales figures over Christmas.