Steve Rowe to remain in control of Marks & Spencer's clothing division ​indefinitely

Steve Rowe, Marks & Spencer new chief executive officer, is to retain direct control of the department store group struggling general merchandising arm, as he tries to stem months of slipping sales.

According to several news reports, Rowe informed M&S employees on Monday in a memo that they should not expect to see his replacement appointed head of its general merchandise division any time soon as his "number one priority" is to improve the struggling business, which includes M&S clothing and footwear.

Rowe stressed that M&S would spend more time listening to customers needs and focus on "keeping things simple," noting that the retailer was guilty of "over-complicating" things. The new CEO also highlighted the need for employees to "work together," as he believes M&S will only manage to turn around 18 months of slipping sales (bar one) if staff "played as a team."

Rowe was expected to announce a successor to his former role as head of general merchandise later this month, as he took over the helm of M&S on Saturday from former CEO Marc Bolland. He is set to present detail of his turnaround plan for M&S's general merchandise business towards the end of the month.

In the meantime, Marks & Spencer is predicted to reveal a 3.4 percent drop in like-for-like general merchandise sales for the first three months of the year on Thursday, according to Citi analysts.