The key protagonists in the battle for M&S could not be more different in style.
Stuart Rose is known for his easy manner and strong sense of team. In contrast, Green is uncompromising and obsessively hands-on.
The pair locked horns over the sale of Arcadia in 2002. Rose had taken control of the business two years earlier, when the share price was 40p, and sold to Green for 408p.
Although Rose was at Green's 50th birthday bash, the two are acquaintances rather than close friends.
MANAGEMENT STYLE
Rose: the rapier
Green: the broadsword
WEALTH
Rose: pocketed£23.1 million after selling Arcadia to Green
Green: the UK's fourth-richest man, worth£3.6 billion
EXPERIENCE
Rose: a lifelong retailer. First job was management trainee at M&S. Has a commercial eye for product, which was lacking within M&S's former top team
Green: a rag trader through and through. He began selling imported shoes in the 1960s and now owns Bhs and Top Shop to Dorothy Perkins group, Arcadia
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Rose: a team-builder
Green: a product and supply chain genius
STATUS
Rose: separated, two children
Green: married, two children
He'd be reincarnated as...
Rose: a fox
Green: a bulldog
PHILOSOPHY
Rose: give people the opportunity to make mistakes
Green: buy well and the selling takes care of itself.
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