When Marc Bolland succeeded Sir Stuart Rose as chief executive of Marks & Spencer, there was fevered speculation about the extent to which he would change strategic direction.

He hasn’t. Bolland is pretty much following the same course as Rose: improve the core UK operations, develop an online business worthy of the M&S name and expand internationally.

What has changed is the focus on execution. It’s visible in broad terms, such as identification of multichannel as a key driver of overseas growth, and it’s discernible at an almost molecular level in the day-to-day business. His presentation at Tuesday’s prelims covered everything from swing tags to brand revamps to in-store changes. The hirings Bolland has made, such as Laura Wade-Gery to run multichannel and Jan Heere to head internationalisation, also bring executional as well as strategic capabilities.

While the recession may be over, retailers need no reminder that trading conditions remain unremittingly tough. In this climate, skilful execution is more than ever the guarantor of success. Just look at electricals group Dixons or DIY giant Kingfisher, where putting executional flesh on the bones of strategy has been crucial.

It’s an approach that has worked wonders elsewhere, notably at Tesco. Explaining Tesco’s success, Sir Terry Leahyonce said: “There was no magic silver bullet, no newfangled business theory - just a series of improvements that we rolled out to deliver for the consumer, and earn loyalty.”

So often a new ‘big idea’ is seen as the key to improvement. Creativity holds an important place but perspiration as well as inspiration makes the difference, Clubcard being a classic example. Focus on the nitty-gritty may lack the drama of a strategic about-face but it often seems to work.

“Perspiration as well as inspiration makes the difference”

Retail Week goes mobile

Just as m-commerce is changing retail, there has been a shift to portable devices for information as well as shopping. That’s why we’ve launched a Retail Week mobile website. It works across all the main mobile devices, so the facts you need to inform your business decisions are all at the touch of a button - or screen. The introduction of a mobile-optimised version provides readers with another, fast way of accessing vital content including news and information ranging from trading updates to stores.

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