Change to Board of Directors

Marks & Spencer PLC
25 July 2000



        NEW DIRECTORS TO JOIN MARKS AND SPENCER p.l.c.
                               
Marks & Spencer Chairman Luc Vandevelde today announces his
first new appointments to the Company's Board of Directors.
Tony Ball, Chief Executive, British Sky Broadcasting Group plc
and Kevin Lomax, Chairman, Misys plc, will be appointed as non-
executive directors with effect from 1st September 2000.

Tony Ball, aged 44, was appointed Chief Executive and Managing
Director of BSkyB in June 1999.  He has spent all of his
career in broadcasting, a highly customer-facing, intensely
competitive industry, with a strong international component.

Kevin Lomax, aged 51, was a founding investor in Misys, the
FTSE-100 software solutions company, and became its Executive
Chairman in 1985.  He has wide- ranging experience in the
information technology sector, and has spent the majority of
his career in new economy industries.

Both Tony Ball and Kevin Lomax will provide experience and
perspectives that are different and complementary to those
already represented on the Board.  These are the first
appointments following Chairman Luc Vandevelde's statement of
commitment to increase diversity on the Marks & Spencer Board.
About these appointments, he said,

' Our aim has been to increase the breadth of experience,
talent and age on the Board, and the appointment of Tony Ball
and Kevin Lomax will go a long way towards this goal.  Their
success in their respective, fast-developing industries will
be particularly relevant to our future progress, and I am
delighted that they are able to join Marks & Spencer at this
time.'
                               


For further information please contact:-

Cheryl Kuczynski at Marks & Spencer          020 7268 1919
Julian Eccles or Andrew Sholl at BskyB       020 7705 3000
Alastair MacDonald at Misys                  020 7395 6900

Notes:-

Tony Ball was appointed Chief Executive and Managing Director
of British Sky Broadcasting Group plc in June 1999.  He was
appointed President and CEO of Fox/Liberty Networks in October
1997, after serving as President and COO of Fox Sports
International, where he oversaw channels in North America,
Latin America, Asia and Australia.  He spent three years of
his career with BskyB beginning in 1993, holding the positions
of Head of Production and Operations of Sky Sports and General
Manager/Broadcasting.

Kevin Lomax was a founding investor in Misys in 1979.  He was
non-executive Chairman from May 1980 until June 1985, since
when he has been executive Chairman, leading Misys through a
period of significant growth and development, with the Company
becoming the first IT company to enter the FTSE 100 index in
May 1998.

A graduate of the University of Manchester, Mr. Lomax has wide-
ranging experience of the industrial sector, including
previous executive positions with Hanson and STC.