Sir Stuart Rose will take Bridgepoint role

Sir Stuart Rose is to join a private-equity firm as an adviser in his first new role since he announced his departure from Marks & Spencer.

The retail veteran, who is to step down as M&S chairman in January, will join the former health secretary Alan Milburn and the ex-HBOS chief executive Sir James Crosby on the European advisory committee of the buyout group Bridgepoint.

He will provide Bridgepoint with a consumer insight for its investments, which currently feature a Europe-wide retail portfolio of more than 2,500 stores and 16,500 employees.

Its UK brands include Pret A Manger, Fat Face and HobbyCraft, while in January it exited its investment in Pets at Home.