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Jigsaw has announced ex-Ted Baker executive Chris Browne as its new retail director, who will oversee the next stage of the company’s physical expansion.
The British luxury fashion brand said Browne, who served as Ted Baker’s global retail director for three decades, will contribute extensive expertise in “store development, property strategy and building high-performing retail teams across international markets”.
The move comes as the business speeds up its growth plans, having asked property agency Colliers to seek out 10 new bricks and mortar locations across the country, including in central London.
The store roll out will increase the firm’s current estate of 43 sites by close to 25%,following a robust trading period in which Christmas sales grew by 26% year-on-year and profit margins were up 35%.
In his 30 years at Ted Baker, Browne spearheaded the brand’s growth from eight stores to over 500 international sites, and was at the helm of its entry into North America, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Europe.
He oversaw a corporate team of 128 across five territories, along with more than 3,000 retail employees.
Thanks to its recent success and faith in its turnaround strategy, Jigsaw said Browne joins at a time that it is expanding its portfolio and “bringing the brand experience closer to its growing customer base”.
Browne said: “Jigsaw is a brand I’ve always admired – representing craftsmanship, quality and thoughtful design, which is increasingly rare on the high street. Finding the right homes for a brand like this matters, and I’m very much looking forward to getting started and securing the locations that will do justice to the product and the customer experience.”
Tikki Godley, managing director at Jigsaw, added: “Chris is one of the most experienced retail directors in the UK and has an outstanding track record of building store portfolios and delivering growth. His appointment reflects the scale of our ambition. We have a clear plan to expand our physical footprint and bring Jigsaw to more customers across the country, and Chris is exactly the right person to lead that.”
