FORMER Morrisons boss Marc Bolland is to step down after six years in the top role at Marks & Spencer.

He will retire at the end of the group's financial year on April 2. His retirement comes after the high street giant announced a worse than expected 5.8 per cent sales slump in the 13 weeks to December 26 covering the crucial festive period. The weak figures were blamed on unusually mild weather and poor stock availability.

Mr Bolland, who quit Bradford-based Morrisons in 2010 for the £5 million a year hot seat at M&S, has been under pressure for some time following a string of poor results in the iconic chain's clothing division.

Leading retail analyst John Ibbotson, director of the retail consultancy Retail Vision, claimed Mr Bolland had jumped before he was pushed.

He said: “All the excuses in the world about unseasonably warm weather can’t hide the fact that a 5.8 per cent slide in like-for-like non-food sales is little short of dismal.

“M&S’s clothing operation is now a fallen colossus. Years of long-term decline have seen it lose both its identity and market share, and the decision to sacrifice quality in order to cut costs has proved toxic for the brand’s core middle-class customers – who have been deserting in droves."

Mr Bolland will be replaced by the head of the chain's general merchandise business, Steve Rowe, who has worked at M&S - a key tenant in Bradford's new Broadway shopping centre - for more than 25 years, starting in store management. .

Mr Bolland admitted the performance of the troubled clothing division over the festive season had been "disappointing".

However, M&S hailed its "best ever Christmas" for food sales, with a 0.4 per cent rise in like-for-like sales over the quarter to December 26 against challenging conditions in the sector.

Mr Bolland will hand over to Mr Rowe at the end of the group's financial year on April 2, but will remain on hand to help with the handover until the end of June.

Robert Swannell, M&S chairman, said: "Over the last six years Marc Bolland has led Marks & Spencer through a period of necessary change.

"It is now positioned for a digital age, with its own online platform and dedicated e-commerce distribution centre, improved design and sourcing capabilities in general merchandise and an industry-leading track record of growth and innovation in the food business ."

Following his departure from Morrisons, Mr Bolland was dismissed as "patently not a retailer" by former chairman Sir Ken Morrison, whose father founded the business as a Bradford market stall in 1899.