On its uncertain road to recovery, the last thing Marks & Spencer needs is a back-seat driver.
So when Steve Rowe, the ailing retailer’s chief executive, said yesterday that relations with his new chairman were “absolutely brilliant”, the subtext was clear: don’t worry, Archie Norman hasn’t parked his tanks on my lawn . . . yet.
Mr Rowe was attempting to dispel fears among analysts and investors that Mr Norman, the turnaround veteran who made his name at Asda, may stray beyond his non-executive brief and interfere with the chief executive’s work.
