M&S set for worst quarter in three years Marks and Spencer is poised to report its worst quarterly trading for three years, ramping up pressure on chief executive Marc Bolland at the retailer's annual meeting next week. M&S will report its first quarter sales on Tuesday, when it also holds the annual meeting. Although pay could come on the agenda, some shareholders indicated that their main focus would be on current trading. There are also expectations that Kate Bostock, head of all non-food at M&S, will leave the retailer, with her departure possibly announced with the annual meeting. The consensus of analysts" forecasts is for a decline in sales of general merchandise, which includes clothing, from UK stores open at least a year, of 6.7 per cent in the first quarter, with the range between declines of 5 per cent and 8 per cent. This would be the worst performance since the 2008-2009 financial year. "Very unseasonal weather and, in our opinion, issues with M&S's clothing offer, should make for a very weak general merchandise result," said Bethany Hocking, analyst at Investec. The FT reported in May that M&S had suffered a sharp downturn in trade, with sales of general merchandise down 11 per cent in the first seven weeks of its new financial year. The worst trading was in womenswear, where like-for-like sales fell 19 per cent. Trading has remained difficult, according to several people familiar with the situation. M&S declined to comment.