Not a bit surprised about the M&S figures - I can't be the only customer to try a buy an 'ordinary 'man's cardigan as a christmas present. This year they decided to only stock £165 cashmere affairs!

AE Hall, Enfield, Middlesex

I think their clothing is really fashionable, especially men's shirts and that comes after 2 years of living in Milan and Paris.

They fall down on food though, where prices are just too high, compared with Waitrose and the John Lewis Partnership.

James, London,

Sir Stuart wants the whole nation to go into more dept to keep his company afloat, and says his staff probably wont receive there annual bonus. Bet you Sir Stuart gets his, weather he fails or succeeds.
Someone wake this guy up and tell him just what he’s shovelling.

Mike, Berlin,

At least football club managers (hardly the most secure job known to mankind) are allowed a few poor results before the inevitable axe falls. Am I alone in believing there is something fundamentally wrong with a culture that would expect or require someone to leave after leading a company out of a right royal pickle and back to health - all because of one set of disappointing results in difficult times and which may turn out to be quite good when compared to others yet to be announced. It's crazy.

Mark, Bedford, UK

Whilst good quality,m+s food is prohibitively expensive ,with much of the xmas foodstuffs increased in price well above what consumers would deem reasonable.Get your prices restructured next xmas if ytou want to encourage higher sales volomes Mr Stuart!

tim davies, cardiff, wales

Perhaps Sir Stuart could explain what the benefit is to me in my savings interest being reduced in order to maintain his bonus?

Alex Ritchie, Salisbury, UK

M&S are forecast to make £1 billion profit this year. That is £1 billion out of yours and my purse/wallet. Sounds to me like rip off Britian is still with us. I know shareholders want something but £1 billion for doing nothing

Pascal, Cockermouth, UK

Get real,it is not the interest rate that causes the problem,but the amount borrowed. Considering inflation,the interest rate is ridiculously low.
It is irresponsible and excessive borrowings that have caused the present problems.People have borrowed up to the hilt. They can not borrow any more.
God help the high street if people start saving!
That's it in a nutshell.

nic, royan, france

I agree with the comments above. I stopped shopping at M&S six months ago. The stores are badly laid out with dirty carpets and the queue to pay was ridiculously long. The clothes were of poor quality, looked cheap and were cheap. People who want to shop at M&S want style and quality as they can always go to Primark for wear once and chuck stuff. The last time I went even the lingerie was awful! I think Stuart Rose needs to read some of these comments. It's not just to do with interest rates.

Celia, London, UK

Like Diana I believe that all the Northern Rock stuff and the downturn in the global economy is all a scam to hide the real story here. Our high street clothing shops have a hidden agenda keeping our children cold thereby making them more inclined to to catch winter colds.

What dark future they could be steering us towards we can only guess.

Kevin Thomas, London,

A 20% fall in the M&S share price is likely an overreaction by the market. The problems I would say are more of M&S products than the industry as a whole. M&S went through a phase where their designs were very good in 2006. Over Christmas though, it is dull dull dull. You want people to buy, stock things people want. Strangely, I have found Next to be very good. M&S need to decide who their customers are and then what they want. Can you really be everything to everyone these days?

Bob, London,

There are plenty of retailers doing well and still expecting growth in 2008 - so it's all down to getting the M&S proposition right rather than cutting interest rates.
I'm going to be more careful with my money this year - partly because my mortgage reayments are more expensive, but mostly because of rise in inflation (utility bills, petrol, train tickets, etc.) as this impact my household finances more than anything else.
Interest rates should stay where they are - as a consumer, I'd rather take the hit on my mortgage & credit cards (I can plan for this), than risking having higher inflation later in the year.

Frank, Reading, UK

Perhaps retailers are having problems because the public just do not have any money!.. I think the high interest rates along with the cost push inflation with items such as bread, added to the 'fallout' from the Subprime are and will for the forseable future provide a rocky time for retailers, the B of E and many members of the public. From my experience, people are up to their eyeballs in debt and are significantly tightening the purse strings. It is simple economics. We have certainly been in a downturn before and I fail to see how this is much different.

Will, Sheffield, UK

There is no point in calling for rate cuts if the banks and building societies don't pass the cut onto customers. The current bleating by financial institutions just highlights who really is the cause of the probems.

Jimd, Norwich, Uk

Mr Rose's call for a rate cut could well backfire as there are probably more savers than mortagees who shop at M&S.

cww, suffolk,

I agree with the last comment. I visited the M&S in Oxford Street and couldn't find anything XS or that wasn't tube shaped. They just cannot compete with the European retailers like Massimo Dutti for (a) style (b) sizing (c) fabric (d) cut (e) colours. What is it with M&S? They make the British public look like a row of flourescent sausages! I do not understand why they even tried to be trendy... they would have done better sticking to their classic family staples.

Ollie, London, UK

The needs of retailers to keep increasing their sales and thus their profits appears to be at odds with the need to reduce waste and cut carbon emissions globally. We can't have it all ways.

Sarah , Ashburton, UK

A few years ago Sainsbury went down the pan because one couldn't find what one wanted and spent too much time waiting at the check outs for what bit were bought. My recent experience of M&S is much the same. I suppose one would call it a poor experience so we stop going and tell our freinds who agree and they stop going. Down and down it goes!.

Andy Williams, Cradley Heath, England

Perhaps retailers are having problems because they're not selling what customers want to buy. Getting my granddaughter a jumper for Christmas sounded like a simple enough idea until I went shopping. Jumpers in her size in BHS - none. Jumpers in her size in M&S- none. Jumpers in her size in Next - none. Don't retailers realise children need to keep warm.

Diana, Isle of Wight,