IT was billed as a revolution in the home shopping market, but was Marks & Spencer's Lifestore simply too revolutionary?

No-one who has visited the Gateshead store recently will be surprised to learn of its demise.

Even at weekends, the car park has been woefully empty.

Compare this to Ikea, just across the road, where shoppers stream in from the moment the doors open. While the Lifestore may not have been aiming for the same market, it has inevitably suffered from its proximity to the cheap and chic Swedish store.

Some will baulk at the price tags - £150 may be the going rate for a duvet cover in Harrods, but it seems rather steep for M&S. There are bargains to be had - glasses for 50p, photo frames for £6 - but they sit uneasily with many of the other products, which are clearly aimed at the luxury end of the market.

The Lifestore has tried be all things to all people and has not quite satisfied any, certainly not the core M&S customer, who will probably be horrified by some of the more cutting-edge designs.

The centrepiece of the store, a two-storey house designed by minimalist architect John Pawson, is totally at odds with the traditional image of M&S. What is more, it seems rather pointless and gimmicky - far too modern to be a proper showcase for the products in store.

But it has not all been bad. There are some lovely objects, whether furniture, soft furnishings or kitchen gadgets, and the store is cleverly divided into sections based on the rituals of everyday life, rather than retail convention. Relax, Organise, Renew and the other areas give customers ideas about how to put different looks together, although it is sometimes difficult to find a particular item.

Ahead of its time or out of touch, depending on your point of view, the Lifestore has been an experiment and, sadly, one that Marks & Spencer can ill afford at the moment.