1st Quarter Trading Statement

Marks & Spencer Group PLC
12 July 2004





Issued: Monday, 12 July 2004


                         MARKS AND SPENCER GROUP PLC
                     QUARTER 1 TRADING STATEMENT 2004/05

UK Trading

UK Sales (inc. VAT) for the 14 weeks ended 10th July were:

                              14 weeks to
                               10th July
                            % on Last Year

                      Actual            Like-for-like

Clothing              -0.5
Home                  -12.8
                      ______               ______
General               -1.8                 -3.7
Food                  +3.9                 -1.5
                      ______               ______

Total                 +0.7                 -2.8
                      ______               ______


Approximately 10% more clothing was put into the summer sale which started, as
planned, five days earlier than last year. When adjusting for the early timing
of this event, underlying clothing performance was -1.2%, showing a slight
improvement to the previous quarter (-2.5%).

Food like-for-like performance was in line with the previous quarter (Q4 -1.4%),
in a period when we were against particularly strong comparatives (Q1 LY +8.1%).

Plans to improve the operational performance of the business have been covered
in a separate Press Release issued this morning.



For further information, please contact:

Corporate Press Office       020 7268 8642
Tony Quinlan           [phone]
Damian Evans           [phone]



The directors of Marks and Spencer Group plc accept responsibility for the
information contained in this announcement and confirm that, to the best of
their knowledge and belief, (having taken all reasonable care to ensure that
such is the case), the information contained in this announcement is in
accordance with the facts and does not omit anything likely to affect the import
of such information.



                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange