M&S's image problem within its own ranks

Marks & Spencer's current travails are well known in the market. The former darling of the British retail sector has turned into a pariah, producing profit warnings and scrambling around for executives to restore it to its former glory. The problems lie with its clothing business and its latest recovery plan involves the introduction of designer wear under a new Autograph label to offset the dowdy image of the store's range.

Now it's all right for an observer to say that, but maybe not so political for a senior employee. That didn't stop Jonathan Bradburn, marketing manager for Ireland, saying: "The rest of the store can look regimented and a bit dull and boring, but Autograph has a definite boutique feel." I'm not too sure that would be the image his bosses would want to present of the flagship Irish store in Dublin's Grafton St.