Member Info for TheSmiler

@falklandinvestor Mike Ashley might have a few quid available shortly ;)

I see parallels with AML and MKS at the moment - uncertainty and nervousness.
Both are solid British brands, but there's a genuine question mark over their survival right now.
The problem with AML as I see it is the engine offering for DBX. The world is changing apace, and if the hybrid engine is unlikely to be available until 2022, I don't see where the sales are going to come from. Yes I know that they've apparently got orders for 2000, but how many order cancellations are they going to have? Bentley have apparently had 3% of orders cancelled over the current crisis.

In reply to Quinny29 - uncertainty and nervousness about just how bad the trading update will be on 20th May.

It's no secret that M&S food is popular, but why has it taken so long to get onboard with home deliveries? Why is M&S always playing catch-up? Tesco started grocery home deliveries in 2007. What a massive wasted opportunity by successive CEO's! It's now all coming home to roost, and I for one am not 100% convinced that M&S will survive. We only currently have a small M&S share holding, and I'm poised to make a further investment, but do I want to risk buying M&S now? I don't think so.

How Steve Rowe is still in post is beyond me. I'd make a clean sweep and replace the whole top team! They need leaders who understand the needs of their traditional customer base and not skinny jean wearing marketeers with their head in the clouds!

Let's not forget the over-ordering of mens skinny jeans last year! M&S have no idea who their customer base is, and it most certainly is not men who wear skinny jeans. It never has been and it never will be! The M&S board has had their head in the clouds for far too many years under the stewardship of Stuart Rose, Marc Bolland and the current incumbent. A reality check is urgently required before M&S is confined to the history books!

Personally I'm concerned at the lack of foot fall in city centre stores when restrictions begin to be lifted, and M&S's exposure to this. I believe Next have already stated that they will focus on opening out of town stores, which tells us that they are not expecting to see much in the way of foot fall in city centres for some time to come. My wife works in M&S in a city centre store, and she is currently furloughed. Yes, the start of home deliveries will be a welcome contribution, but let's be brutally honest here, M&S have been horrendously slow to join the fray. Tesco have been doing home deliveries for 13 years! I'm expecting the M&S share price to take a significant hit before the any positive impact from the Ocado deal kicks in.