• Conciseness
• Connectivity of information
• Materiality

Key observations:

Marks and Spencer’s 2014 marketplace review provides a concise and effective overview of the company’s current operations, the external factors that influence them, and how the company has responded to these challenges. It succinctly describes the impact of material external issues on the company’s four key areas of focus – clothing, food, M&S.com and brand – and provides an external quantitative indicator, such as a consumer confidence index, in order to substantiate the company’s view on sustainable growth.