Marks and Spencer is one of the leading and the most recognized name Research Paper

Marks and Spencer is one of the leading and the most recognized name in the fashion industry - Research Paper drillThe company, by applying prudent marketing techniques, has been suitable to grab market share of around 11.7% by value and 12.4% by volume. Marks and Spencer has also been actively winding in the business of marketing and selling edible products which has earned the company immense revenue in the past few years. Through its unmatchable nutriment quality, Marks and Spencer is now regarded as one of the finest when it comes to quality food products. The financial expectation of the company also looks quite stable. During the financial year of 2012, the company has been able to increase its revenue by an impressive 2.0% to a striking ?9.9 billion though the operating profit of the company took a slight downward magnetic dip of about 1.2%. In addition, the financial ratio summary of the company and the comparison of the company with its competitor also show that a p ositive financial outlook can be forecasted. INTRODUCTION The paper presents evaluates the financial murder of Marks and Spencer, a highly recognized name in the fashion market. Marks and Spencer is a listed company and has been operating lucratively for the past many years. The company operations have been highly successful in the past many years and it portrays sound and stable financial outlook. Following is a brief and recent financial highlight of the company Financial Highlight of the Company The paper primarily discusses the financial outlook of the company as evaluated through its financial statements. The initial section of the page discusses the key operations of the company and under what conditions it is operating in the UK market. The paper in brief discuses the historical financial performance of the company focusing group revenue and profit before and after tax. Moving forward, the paper presents a comparison of the accredited and last year financial performance o f the company through financial statement ratio analysis. The primary reason to conduct a ratio analysis is to quantify the results of the operations of a company and compare them with that of the prior year(s) in recite to assess different aspects of the financial feasibility. The ratios are divided into profitability, liquidity and gear mechanism ratios. The paper identifies the areas, through ratio analysis, where the company is performing well and where it needs improvements. In conclusion the paper presents a comparison of the financial and operational performance of Marks and Spencer with one of its primary competitors, Debenhams. Major financial ratios are compared and in addition, historical share prices are also analyzed of both companies in order to identify which company has a better market capitalization and better reputation from investors perspective. For the purpose of the financial analysis, the historical financial information from the financial year 2012 till 200 8 has been used. RECENT ANALYSIS OF UK RETAIL INDUSTRY During the current financial year 2012, the UK retail industry witnessed a mix trend. As inform by the Marks and Spencer in its press releases, the start of the current financial year was better than expected and the company reaped great profit. However it was observed that subsequent half of the current year proved to be more difficult for doing business, especially the month of August and September. During that particular period, the share price of Marks and Sp