Gillian Ridley-Whittle, the development and buying director for Marks & Spencer is leaving the retailer after only a few weeks in her new position. The move follows the exit of the retailer’s “knicker queen” Janie Schaffer in the summer and head of merchandising Cathy Haydon in September.

M&S’s non-food sales have shown a decline in the past nine quarters and are expected to show a further drop when the retailer reports its first half results on November 5th.