Exclusive Julian Hunt The head of Marks and Spencer's food business is urging suppliers with new product ideas to make the chain their first point of call ­ even if they don't already do business with it. In his first interview since joining M&S from Asda, Justin King told The Grocer: "One of the things we have not been very good at is presenting opportunities for new people to do business with us. "We tend not to get on people's lists. They tend to walk through certain front doors first every time. "I would like to think we can create an environment where people believe our values sit well with the kinds of product they are trying to make so that we are the first door they knock on ­ even though we are only a small part of the marketplace." King insisted this would not entail any radical changes being made to the existing M&S supply base. "All the guys who are our big suppliers today will be our big suppliers in five years time," he said. "But it's a bit like the Premiership. There are teams who do a fantastic job for us and will always be part of the Premiership. But there are also people out there playing in the First Division not doing business with us who probably should ­ and we should probably want them to." And King dismissed as "rot" stories that appeared earlier this year suggesting he would be taking an axe to the M&S supply base. "I have no ambition to undermine the uniqueness of our relationship with suppliers. That's what has made us successful. "Why would I do something that would run absolutely contrary to the values of the business?" He added: "Does that mean I don't think there are opportunities to reduce our cost base? Of course not. Anybody in buying who does not think there are opportunities to reduce the cost base is in the wrong job. "But it would be pretty silly to lay waste to the quality of our product in the pursuit of a few pennies. And it won't be happening while I am here." {{NEWS }}

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