How online shopping could save M&S - and the 5 best pieces to buy now to see you through lockdown

telegraph.co.uk:

Marks & Spencer posted the first loss in its 94-year history.Disclosing results for the six months to September 26, the bellwether retailer reported a £87.6m pre-tax loss, compared to a £159m profit for the same period last year.

Revenues slid almost 16pc to £4.09bn. Blaming the losses on its clothing and home units, which proved more vulnerable to lengthy retail closures in the spring than the core food business, the retailer warned of “significant uncertainty” looming with the imminent second lockdown and Brexit.But buried in the results were some promising signs - namely that while in-store clothing and home revenues slumped 61.5 percent in Q1 and 21.3 percent in Q2, online sales in the category surged by 34.3 percent over the half-year..