‘Bum-boosting pants’ aside, I’m emotionally invested

Why do we treat it like a national treasure when it’s just another multinational business that wants our cash?

Last week sometimes felt like standing in the midst of a triumphant hosiery and condiment-themed ticker-tape parade. I’m referring to the deluge of reports about the success of Marks & Spencer. M&S has topped the FTSE 100 leaderboard. It’s reported to be in its strongest financial health since 1997. The food is considered a treat during the cost-of-living crisis. The Zoe Gut Shot sparked a waiting list. Sienna Miller has fronted clothing campaigns, looking winsome in cable-knit. Young women are turbo-boosting the profits by buying M&S lingerie.

No wonder chief executive Stuart Machin talks of “wind in our sails”. What a way to celebrate being 140 years old. You could almost forgive the disquieting “bum-boosting pants” range introduced earlier this year (effectively a padded bra for the posterior: what fresh hell is this?). Even in relatively recent times, there were concerns about M&S, but all indications show that it’s out of the doldrums.