Bolland doesn't have Rose's sensitivity for the Marks & Spencer brand: PR guru Richard Hillgrove

Richard Hillgrove says: "The problem with Marks & Spencer under chief executive Marc Bolland is his desire to be seen like a James Bond figure with the Bond-girls on each arm in publicity pictures".

"Stuart Rose had an acute sensitivity towards the brand and only allowed models to represent M&S that were 'everyday' like Myleene Klass and not 'out of reach' of customers", he says.

"Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is a total misfit for Marks & Spencer Fashion - severing M&S's connection with British women they don't want to feel like they can't keep up".

"Bolland should have kept his impulses for fast cars and fast women at home and been much more atuned to what M&S stands for".

As a result Marks & Spencer has dropped to the lowest level in four years today as clothing sales slumped.

The group said underlying profits for 2012-13 were GBP665.2m, a 6 per cent drop on a year earlier and below the City forecast of GBP710m at the start of the financial year. The results will increase the pressure on chief executive Marc Bolland to turn around the high street player, particularly in the wake of a reshuffle of its management team.

Richard Hillgrove is founder of Hillgrove PR and has represented PR for former Ukraine Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, BBC Dragons' Den stars James Caan, Duncan Bannatyne, Simon Woodroffe and 10 of the starts of Channel 4's Secret Millionaire. Hillgrove is credited with turning around the fortune's of Britain's favourite restaurant brand Little Chef and also does PR for William Chase, founder of Tyrrell's Crisps, Sahar Hashemi, Founder of Coffee Republic, Nick Wheeler, founder of Charles Tyrwhitt Shirts and Martin Miller of Miller's Gin.