Mr Bolland joined Morrisons in September 2006 as CEO. Prior to that, he was COO and executive board member at Heineken, based in the Netherlands. He is also currently a nonexecutive director of Manpower in the US.

Mr Rose said: "I am delighted that Marc is to be Marks & Spencer's next CEO. He brings a wealth of consumer marketing experience and has made a great success of his time at Morrisons. We very much look forward to welcoming him and working together."

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Marks & Spencer has 20 stores across the Republic of Ireland currently with a total workforce of 3,000 people.

Jonathan Smith, Marks & Spencer's Ireland chief, was quoted by The Irish Times as saying: "It is an indicator of a long-term strategy, despite the economic difficulties at the moment. Marks & Spencer is a popular brand. Our food business is very different from other supermarkets. It will bring something different and exciting to the center."

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Operating profit for the first six months of 2009 was GBP373.4 million, compared to GBP382.4 million for the corresponding period of 2008.

Profit on ordinary activities before taxation for the first six months ended September 26, 2009 was GBP306.7 million, compared to GBP307.8 million, for the prior-year period.

Stuart Rose, chairman of Marks & Spencer, said: "We are pleased with our first half performance. Our strong customer offer, together with tight management of costs and margin, has allowed us to report a profit slightly ahead of last year, despite a challenging economic environment. We increased our share of the clothing market over the period, and our performance in Food has also improved."

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Each Marks & Spencer store will offer an edited selection of the range chosen according to its size, starting from around 50 products in smaller stores up to the full range of around 400 products in Marks & Spencer's stores.

The offer will focus on brand-dominated categories like soft drinks, confectionery, beer, laundry, personal care, and pet food; or on filling gaps where Marks & Spencer has no own brand equivalent.

Sir Rose, Marks & Spencer's chairman, said: "Our trials have shown us that an edited selection of branded grocery and household products has a place at Marks & Spencer. Our customers are at the heart of this decision - they lead increasingly busy lives so buying those essential, must-have branded products at Marks & Spencer will help save them time. It will be so much more for convenient for our customers to get what they need from Marks & Spencer rather than having to go elsewhere."

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