You know you’re home at M&S

ONLINE fashion retailer Asos (valued at £4.9 billion) is on the brink of overtaking Marks & Spencer (£5.3 billion) in terms of stock market value. The grande dame of the High Street overtaken by new tech upstarts? Pass me the Rhubarb Scented Room Spray from the M&S home collection before I faint clean away. Asos is cool, but it lacks a lot.

My New York-based girlfriend often gets homesick for Blighty. When she visits, what is the first thing she wants to do? Tour the British Museum, visit the Opera House, take a walk along the Thames? ‘Can we go to Marks & Spencer?’ she always pleads.

A tour around the store, with its box pleat skirts, floral cushions, multi-pack knickers, dustable potted plants, prawn sandwiches and unspeakable slippers are all it takes to make her feel properly at home. Asos may have its benefits, but it can’t give a girl that.