Chris Bennett: Not just any eye exam, this is an M&S eye exam

Marks & Spencer is a retailing phenomenon that has an inexhaustible ability to adapt and survive so it’s move into optical retailing will be watched with keen interest.

I can’t remember a time when people didn’t moan about ‘Marks & Sparks’ but, by and large, people keep on going back to the store that still accounts for one in four pairs of knickers sold in the UK.

Since the late 1990s, when M&S became the first British retailer to post pre-tax profits of £1bn, it has been buffeted, along with most retailers, by the turbulent times in retail. While its clothing may be attracting brickbats, its food, finance and flowers have enabled it to differentiate and diversify. But you know all of that because, just like everyone else in the country, M&S has been in your life since you bought your first school uniform or your fist job interview suit.