THE FTSE 100 Index was down more than 0.5 per cent, or 34.3 points, to 6465.7 as it continued its downward slide following two successive weeks of losses.

Beleaguered retailer M&S, where chief executive Marc Bolland is under pressure to revive flagging clothing sales after appointing a new fashion team, offered a ray of light.

Stars including Dame Helen Mirren, Darcey Bussell and Tracey Emin were among the leading ladies it recruited to promote its new clothing range in a fashion shoot by star photographer Annie Leibovitz.

It is pinning its hopes on its autumn/winter collection to turn around the disastrous performance of its womenswear lines and investors gave its latest marketing effort the thumbs up, as shares lifted 6.2p to 459.5p.

Anglo American declined more than three per cent, or 55p, to 1492.5p and silver miner Fresnillo dropped 15p to 1157p.

Commodities trader Glencore Xstrata also dropped, on expectations that it will write off up to £4.5bn from the value of assets at Xstrata. Shares dropped 6.4p to 302p, ahead of results today.

Vacuum products specialist Edwards, which is based in Crawley and employs 3,200 people, is to be bought by Swedish firm Atlas Copco in a £1bn deal.

And oil and gas engineering firm Kentz said it was the subject of takeover interest from two parties, Amec and Germany’s M+W. Kentz rejected Amec’s latest approach, which valued it at between £673m and £691m, after turning down another attempt last month. It also spurned an approach from Stuttgart-based M+W, which it said was worth less than Amec’s.

The developments fuelled a rise in Kentz’s share price of 24 per cent, or 115.1p, to 591p. Amec was 1p higher at 1085p.