MARKS & SPENCER GROUP PLC 
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"Recently, the world has changed at a greater pace than we have - fashion is faster, it's more accessible and our customers are increasingly fashion literate," John Dixon, executive director of general merchandise, told reporters and analysts in a strategy update that accompanied a preview of M&S' eagerly awaited new autumn/winter ranges.
The ranges are widely seen as make-or-break for a new general merchandise team, assembled by Chief Executive Marc Bolland and led by Dixon, the former boss of M&S's food business, and Belinda Earl, the former CEO of Debenhams Plc and Jaeger.
Earl said M&S is a brand that "should be looking upwards for aspiration."
The company was injecting more fashion into womenswear, had introduced a new quality charter to improve the fabric, fit and finish of its products and was making shopping easier at its stores.
"Womenswear is the golden key to the golden door," said Dixon. "If you get womenswear firing on all cylinders, then there's normally a halo effect into the other parts of our clothing and home business."
M&S's autumn/winter ranges feature key trends, such as "London Calling," the firm's nod to punk, featuring sleek leathers and animal prints, and "Modern Elegance," which encompasses simple tailoring with luxury fabrics.
Earl highlighted a red leather jacket for 249 pounds, a bold black and red check dress for 45 pounds and wedge boots for 69 pounds.
Bolland, CEO since May 2010, is under pressure from investors to revive the 129-year-old company's clothing business, which has reported seven straight quarterly falls in underlying sales. M&S has also been the subject of renewed takeover speculation.
Bolland has repeatedly said the new team will not make a major impact on sales until the autumn/winter ranges start hitting the shops in late July.
On Tuesday, he cautioned the market not to expect too much too soon.
"This is a step in the right direction. The one thing that we want to be very clear on is that it's a step by step approach," he said.
A key aspect of the new strategy will be the launch of the M&S Collection core clothing range, replacing the M&S Man and M&S Woman brands, which was launched two-and-a-half years ago.
M&S's Limited Collection, which targets the younger shopper, will form part of M&S Collection, but will now be called Limited Edition. M&S's Classic range, which targets older customers, will retain its brand identity, but also become part of M&S Collection.
The firm also plans to make its sub-brands - per una, Autograph and Indigo - clearer and more compelling.
M&S will present the autumn/winter ranges to Britain's fashion press on Wednesday and Thursday. However, Liz Jones, the influential fashion columnist at the Daily Mail newspaper, had a sneak preview last week and said she was "pleasantly surprised," praising much improved quality.
Next week Bolland will present M&S's 2012-13 results, with analysts on average forecasting a 7 percent fall in pretax profit to 658 million pounds, according to a poll carried on the company's website. That would be a second straight annual decline, although the dividend is expected to be maintained.
M&S shares, up 18 percent over the last year, closed Tuesday at 420 pence, valuing the business at 6.8 billion pounds.
(Reporting by James Davey. Editing by Andre Grenon)
By James Davey
