What if… Sanpower bought (some of) M&S?

The clothes of Marks Spencer have never been very trendy and in recent years it has struggled to keep out of the red, so it was a godsend when UK fashionista Alexa Chung’s tip about a suede skirt helped the British high street store to its first annual profit in four years in its last full fiscal year.

MS’s troubles have since returned, claiming the scalp of chief executive officer Marc Bolland just last month, but for Chung the relationship appears to have gone from strength to strength. Desperate for another lucrative sales bounce, the 132 year-old retail chain just signed her up to oversee a 31-piece womenswear collection....