Marks & Spencer is continuing its transformation plan, with the appointment of a new leadership team responsible for overhauling the UK retailer's Clothing & Home business.
Jill Stanton, who was previously responsible for turnaround programmes at Old Navy, Next and Nike, has been appointed to the new role of womenswear and kidswear director, effective July 2018.
She will be joined by former Burton managing director Wes Taylor, who has been named as the group's new Menswear Director.
Meanwhile, Laura Charles has been promoted to the new position of Lingerie Director, working alongside Neil Harrison as Home and Beauty director.
The new team will be led by Clothing & Home managing director Jill McDonald, who joined M&S from Halfords last October.
“M&S Clothing is transforming," said McDonald. "We’re crystal clear on the challenge."
"We must become more relevant to more people offering the right products at the right prices to appeal to our core customers and attract new ones," she added.
M&S also announced that Michael Kerr, who is currently Menswear & Kidswear Director, and Queralt Ferrer, Womenswear & Lingerie Design Director, have decided to leave the company.
Leadership Changes
These appointments are the latest in a series of developments at M&S, as the retailer continues its five-year transformation plan.
Since Steve Rowe became CEO in April 2016, the group has brought about a number of changes in its operational and leadership structure.
The retailer's Food and Clothing & Home businesses have been established as two separately-managed units, with a number of senior management shuffles.
In the last year, Mel Smith has been appointed strategy director, Victoria Self as digital director, Sharry Cramond as food marketing director, and Humphrey Singer as chief finance officer.
Most recently, Stuart Machin, the current group CEO of Steinhoff UK, was named as the new managing director of the M&S food business last week, replacing Andy Adcock.
These changes are hoped to boost sales at the retail group, which posted a relatively disappointing performance in its most recent quarter.
Although most of the UK’s food retailers saw positive growth over the Christmas period, M&S experienced a mixed trading period, with food sales down by 0.4% and clothing and home sales down by 2.8%.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
