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| Marks and Spencer non-food sales fall for 11th quarter | Marks and Spencer non-food sales fall for 11th quarter |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Marks and Spencer has revealed another quarter of falling sales in its non-food general merchandise division. the 11th quarter in a row they have fallen. | Marks and Spencer has revealed another quarter of falling sales in its non-food general merchandise division. the 11th quarter in a row they have fallen. |
| Like-for-like sales in the division fell 0.6% in the three months to the end of March. | Like-for-like sales in the division fell 0.6% in the three months to the end of March. |
| However, the retailer said there were signs of "encouraging improvement" in clothing sales, with like-for-like sales up 0.6%. | |
| Food sales rose just 0.1% on the same basis. Online sales were up 12.5%. | Food sales rose just 0.1% on the same basis. Online sales were up 12.5%. |
| The sales figures were better than expected. Analysts had expected non-food sales to fall, but by at least 1% in the quarter. | |
| Womenswear boost | |
| M&S hired Belinda Earl, the former chief executive of Debenhams and Jaeger, as head of style in April 2013, following the departure of Janie Schaffer, the founder of lingerie chain Knickerbox, after just three months in the role. | |
| Ms Earl was charged with regenerating Marks' reputation among its core, female fashion customers. | |
| Six months later the 130-year old retailer launched a new women's fashion range, backed by a large advertising campaign, to boost its flagging clothing sales. | |
| M&S chief executive Marc Bolland, said he was "particularly encouraged by womenswear, which is showing a clear sign of improvement and performed ahead of clothing". | |
| He added customers were responding well to the retailer's "refocus on quality and style" and that its new spring/summer fashion range had also been received well. | |
| Mr Bolland said M&S' food business "outperformed the market once again". Adjusting for the later timing of Easter this year, M&S said its like-for-like food sales were up 1.8%, with total sales up 4.2%. |