New Look appoints Mark Matthews as new retail director

New Look has announced the appointment of Mark Matthews as retail director, succeeding Elaine Cartwright, who has spent over a decade at the company.

In his role, Matthews will be responsible for New Look’s store estate and for implementing the company’s omnichannel strategy across stores to drive sales and enhance the customer experience.

The retailer said he brings “extensive experience” from Co-op Food, Bonmarché, George at Asda and Selfridges, spanning operations, visual merchandising and in-store digital. He has a track record of enhancing product ranges and modernising stores to improve service and sales.

Matthews has also led work on future store propositions that strengthen omni-channel integration and colleague engagement.

New Look said the appointment comes at a “pivotal time” for the company. As part of its omni-channel strategy, the company is focused on optimising its store network to better serve customers across the UK.

Recent store upgrades, including concept launches at Bluewater and across Manchester, have delivered strong double-digit like-for-like sales growth, reflecting the brand’s focus on innovation, digital integration and elevating the customer journey.

Over the past five years, New Look has transformed the business and its digital offer, upgrading the website and app, developing a 10million strong engaged customer base.

Earlier this year, it announced a £30m investment to power the next phase of its digital growth. Part of this investment has supported the development of New Look’s first loyalty app, Club New Look. Following a soft launch in summer, it now has over 700K members, which the store teams have played a significant role in securing.

Helen Connolly, CEO of New Look, said: “Our store estate is a vital part of our omni-channel strategy, and I’m delighted to welcome Mark to the business as retail director. Mark brings extensive industry expertise and a customer-first mindset that will be key to our next phase of store development.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Elaine Cartwright for her contribution to New Look over the past 12 years. Elaine leaves our Retail division in a place of strength, as we continue to optimise our store network, streamline the customer journey and strengthen in-store digital engagement. We wish her every success in her next role.”

Matthews added: “I’m excited to step into this role at such a pivotal time for New Look. The brand has made great strides in creating a seamless customer experience across channels. I look forward to building on that momentum, working with our colleagues in our stores and across the support centre.”