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What's to blame for Marks & Spencer's sluggish sales - its clothing, a slowdown in spending or, despite Stuart Rose's prior suggestion that bad weather is a lame excuse for struggling, the soggy summer?

ALAN GILES, CHAIRMAN, FAT FACE

I don't think there is any blame to be apportioned. Stuart Rose, with his customary silky PR skills, referred to the 'extreme weather' in May and June as a contributory factor, neatly side-stepping his earlier 'weather is for wimps' statement.

Despite the contrast with British Retail Consortium figures, which will have inspired incredulity in many retail boardrooms, the M&S recovery is still on track, with or without George Davies as co-driver.

No business recovery is a smooth, uninterrupted path, and I view the latest M&S sales figures as no more than a minor locking of the brakes on a flying Lewis Hamilton-style lap to regain pole position. But there may be more treacherous bends to negotiate later.

BEN STEPHENS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, STEPHENS FRANCIS WHITSON

People are quick to wish misfortune on the brave, but the evidence - continual growth in an incredibly tough retail environment - remains very strongly on the side of the bold Mr Rose.

The odd summer monsoon and a couple of interest-rate rises got in his way, but you can bet that any contribution that's been missing from the clothing department has been minimised by some very quick reactions from the food team.

M&S is a business that now knows where it's going and what it stands for, and is firmly back on the map as an incredibly welcome British institution. Let's wait and see how many of its competitors can make similar claims over the next few weeks.

JEFFREY MERRIHUE, PARTNER, ACCENTURE

Marks & Spencer's recovery over the past year has been nothing short of astonishing.

To have a slowdown from its recent torrid pace seems reasonable, given the ebbs and flows of markets.

As to the bad weather and rising interest rates, it's the same for everyone. The opportunity is that when consumers are stuck at home and feeling the pinch economically, there is one channel that overcomes both barriers: e-commerce.

If M&S invested in this channel as aggressively as its stores, the weather really would be for wimps.

MARK HAMMERSLEY, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ZOGGS AND PURELIME

I have some sympathy with M&S. Market conditions are difficult for clothing, and the irregularity of the UK weather, global warming aside, has had a massive impact on consumer spending patterns. If summer fails to arrive, consumers will not buy summer clothes or accessories, and the majority of retailers are not able to flex their supply chain quickly enough.

However, many retailers currently miss a large percentage of their potential summer sales by introducing their autumn ranges in stores in late July and August. One way to help negate the weather as an issue is to have seasonal clothing in stores for the whole season in which people want to buy it, not when it suits the 'buying cycle'.