Read the article and decide whether the statements at the end are true or false.
Any successful business usually begins with the vision and hard work of one person. This is certainly the case with Marks & Spencer (M&S), one of today's most successful retailing giants. But who are the people behind the names?
The fascinating story starts in a remote Russian Polish province 150 years ago. Tsar Alexander II's persecution of Jews is driving thousands of families out of the villages.
Young Michael Marks fled to England. He spoke no English, had no money and no skills or trade to offer. But he was determined to succeed. He set up as a peddler, a tradesman who walked from village to village selling small household goods.
Marks eventually settled in the Yorkshire town of Leeds, selling household items from a table in an open-air market. When an indoor market hall opened in the town centre, Marks rented a permanent stall where he continued to sell his goods. At the front of his stall was a notice that read 'Don't Ask the Price. It's a Penny'.
This simple fixed-price idea soon became popular with shoppers and Michael Marks' small business began to grow with the opening of two 'penny bazaar' stalls in neighbouring towns. He also realised he could not continue expanding his business on his own. Marks had got to know Tom Spencer, a cashier at a nearby wholesale warehouse, and he invited Spencer to become his partner. The men were set to become one of the most famous business partnerships in history.