Marks & Spencer has lost two of its star employees of its Limited Collection womenswear team, one of the few areas of its business that is thought to be doing well.

Margaret McDonald, who was the head buyer for the Limited Collection, has quit to return to her former employer Gap, the US clothing retailer. Zoe Matthews, a Limited buyer, has also left M&S. Their exit comes just a week before former Asda executive Kate Bostock takes up the reins as the new director of womenswear.