Writs will fly, analyst warns
A legal battle between Marks & Spencer and Per Una founder George Davies is predicted if he goes ahead with a fashion venture, GIV-e.

Seymour Pierce retail analyst Richard Ratner has warned: 'The way the M&S thing is going, there is a danger that the whole thing will end up in court. It's a conflict of interest. M&S are not paying him to set up in competition with them.'

Davies' rival fashion business would include stores and e-tail. Earlier this year, Davies (pictured) warned high street clothing retailers they could no longer afford to ignore the power of the internet (RW, May 13).

Davies quit Marks and Spencer last week on the day that the company released its best quarterly trading figures for almost two years. His M&S notice period is 12 months.