It does seem very odd to have two [House of Fraser] stores at either end of Princes Street. There is an argument that says customers don’t shop in a linear pattern along Princes Street, but...

While many retailers went overseas to get cheaper good quality products, M&S stayed with British sources. Now, like everyone else, they source about 80% of their clothing from abroad.

It’s not so much a ‘loss leader’,

There’s a lot to be said for the motivational effects of the partnership bonus on levels of customer service. In the most recent round of figures, staff got about eight weeks’ salary as a bonus....

It has been a long time since consumers have been fooled by prices which are just under the round number,

Department stores are not really out of fashion, but they will struggle if they don’t provide what customers want.