In an attempt to reinstate themselves at the top of the financial food chain, Marks and Spencer’s executive chairman Stuart Rose has announced a pilot scheme to stock a selection of items from ‘the nation’s favourite brand ranges’ on shelf space formerly given over solely to products bearing the M&S’ own St Michael label. Okay, I can sorta see the logic - of the millions who regularly log onto supermarket price comparison websites before setting off to do the weekly shop, few are going to choose a food hall that stocks only exclusive, premium products over a superstore that carries not only a dozen different brands of baked beans, but an own-label loss leader at 7p a can as well. But by attempting to turn M&S into just another, run-of-the-mill supermarket, is Stuart serving Great British Tradition a devastating blow?
Crunch or no crunch, the Hyacinth Buckets amongst us do not want to be confronted with Cillit Bang, Fixodent, Mini Cheddars, Flora margarine or Newcastle Brown Ale at Marks and Spencer. You wouldn’t expect to find Coquilles St Jacques, aged organic beef fillet and tarte au citron at the Smile shop up the road; ergo, we don’t expect to see Tampax, Pedigree Chum and Heinz salad cream snuggling up alongside the exotic ready meals, ready sliced courgettes and luxury sherry trifles that offer us a lifestyle to aspire to. What next – a KFC outlet in the M&S cafe (rebranded, no doubt, as ‘Sparky’s Caff’)? There may be a recession on the horizon, but I’d rather live on leftovers for three days secure in the knowledge that, come pay day, St Michael will carry me off to a Branston/Coca Cola/Harpic-free world where, until now, only food angels would aspire to tread. Let’s just hope that Stuart’s not planning to interfere with our knickers.
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