... including account cards, personal loans, unit trust management, life assurance and pensions. Retailing accounted for 96% of fiscal 2001 revenues and financial services, 4%. M&S also operate a catering service (lunch to go.com) coffee shops (Café revive) and the online sale of personalised cakes and flowers. Though turnover primarily relies on the clothing sector, M&S have been eager to diversify and place great emphasis on food and have opened several food only retail outlets in Scotland and England. Such a diversified approach means that Marks and Spencer compete with various rivals either directly or indirectly. Identifying direct like for like competitors can be of particular difficulty. As M&S compete with banks, flower shops, coffee shops, catering firms etc. Though M&S diversified approach bears a canny resemblance to that of the supermarket sector though one can derive that the importance of primary and secondary products is reversed. (See Table 1.1) (Table1.1 A table ...

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