There are plenty of observers who will claim that Marks & Spencer is dying, and I'm inclined to agree. I'm not suggesting that the retail monolith is going bust, or is about to be bought by Wal-Mart and rolled into one brand with Asda. It's just that the old M&S is dying and a new child is taking its place.Signs that nature has been taking its course have been apparent over the past couple …showed first 75 words of 884 total…

…showed last 75 words of 884 total…at the niche end, which may be why there have been indications that the St Michael brand is no longer sacrosanct.But it can't have it both ways. Bland faith won't do - M&S is a store in search of a role. Its challenge seems to be that the likes of young fogeyette, Petronella Wyatt, writing in The Spectator, is its biggest, breathless fan. I think that tells us all we need to know.