Kingfisher appoints ex-Travis Perkins CFO as non-executive director

Kingfisher has announced the appointment of former Travis Perkins CFO, Tony Buffin, as a non-executive director with effect from 1 December 2020.

Buffin joined Holland and Barrett as CEO last year, prior to this, he held the position as chief operating officer and chief financial officer at Travis Perkins.

He was formerly chief financial officer of Australian grocery retailer, Coles Group, and prior to that, he held the position of  chief executive officer of The Loyalty Management Group.

Buffin said: “I am delighted to be joining the board of Kingfisher having had first-hand experience of the strength of the group’s businesses. 

“I look forward to supporting the board, and I am excited by the opportunities ahead to create sustainable and long-term shareholder value under the leadership of CEO Thierry Garnier.”

Andy Cosslett, chairman of Kingfisher, added: “I am delighted to welcome Tony to the Kingfisher Board. His broad range of retail skills, particularly those gained in the home improvement and digital retail markets, will be of great benefit to Kingfisher. 

“Tony will also bring a wealth of expertise in finance and transformation.  We are very much looking forward to working with him.”

Earlier this year, Kingfisher reported a 24% decrease in sales to £2.2bn due to the impact of the coronavirus hitting its core markets of UK, Ireland and France.

Kingfisher said it saw UK and Ireland sales fall 14.7% to £1.09bn, with B&Q sales plummeting 22.1% to £663m. 

While the UK government had classed DIY stores as essential, Kingfisher said it took the decision to close stores in order to install “safe store working protocols”.