Success is so simple at M&S: Product, environment and service are all you need

To bring together different takes on Marks & Spencer's turnaround since 2004, offering comments from CEO Stuart Rose and a comparison to the current fortunes of Philip Green's rival store Bhs.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments.

Though Stuart Rose may well claim that there are no hard feelings between him and Philip Green, there's a reasonable chance that Green may not find himself feeling quite so amicable. In 2004, Rose moved from Green's retailing group Arcadia to head up Marks & Spencer, knowing full well of Green's takeover plans. He resisted the approach and has spent the time since then successfully rebuilding trust in the longstanding M&S's brand. Meanwhile, Green's declaration of war on M&S has thus far got him nowhere fast. His rival store Bhs has failed to even approach the targets he set for the company, and as M&S has grown, Bhs has fumbled. Whether or not Rose and Green are friends in private, in business they remain rivals. So where might Green do well to notice his opponent's recent strategy?

Suggests a very simple approach to retail strategy and illustrates its potential success with a case study of M&S.

The paper illustrates how a longstanding but threatened brand resisted a hostile takeover and won back its fans by returning to simple and traditional business values. It offers direct comments from top staff at M&S and considers the position of M&S's rivals and analysts.