Board
This coverage highlights board-level developments shaping the UK retail industry, from executive appointments and leadership reshuffles to governance strategy and corporate direction. Retail Sector reports on boardroom changes across major retail brands, supermarkets, and e-commerce operators, analysing how leadership decisions influence company performance, culture, and market positioning. Coverage includes director appointments, succession planning, governance best practices, and strategic decision-making at the highest levels. For retail professionals, these insights illuminate how leadership dynamics drive operational change, investor confidence, and long-term growth across the sector.
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Mar- 2019 -25 MarchDepartment Stores
Sports Direct slams Debenhams for rejecting £100m offer
Sports Direct has criticised Debenhams for rejecting its offer to acquire its Danish company Magasin Du Nord for £100m. On Friday (22 March), the struggling department store announced it had secured a £200m refinancing lifeline, shortly after Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct made the proposal which gave Debenhams the 12 month…
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22 MarchDIY
Travis Perkins appoints new COO amid plans to simplify business
Building materials retailer, Travis Perkins, has appointed Frank Elkins as its new chief operating officer for the group’s trade merchant business. The operations which Elkins will oversee include Travis Perkins builders merchants, BSS, Benchmarx, Keyline and CCF, which generate more than £3.6bn in annual revenue combined and have a branch…
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22 MarchDepartment Stores
Debenhams secures £200m lifeline
Embattled department store Debenhams has confirmed it has secured a £200m refinancing lifeline. The funding is expected to “provide liquidity headroom” for its future funding needs and “deliver stability for its customers, staff, suppliers and pension holders”. Earlier this month, the company said it was considering a £150m cash injection…
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21 MarchClothing & Shoes
Next sees profits dip as store sales continue to fall
Next has announced a dip in its annual profits as the decline of its physical store sales continues. The fashion retailer’s pre-tax profits for the year to January were in line with expectations at £722.9m, a fall of 0.4%, this was attributed to store sales decreasing by 8% from…
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19 MarchClothing & Shoes
Marco Agnolin departs Diesel CEO role
Marco Agnolin has announced he has stepped down as CEO of Diesel after just over a year in the role. Agnolin will officially leave the role on 27 March, however he will continue to serve on the company’s board. The CEO joined Diesel in January 2018 after leaving Inditex’s Bershka…
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19 MarchPeople Moves
Mahabis appoints Iain Martin as its new CEO
Mahabis, the upmarket footwear retailer, has appointed former Moonpig MD Iain Martin as its new chief executive, taking over from interim chief executive, James Cox. During his nine-year leadership at Moonpig, which he joined in 2006, Martin grew revenue from £1.8m to over £60m and took EBITDA growth from £0.3m…
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18 MarchPeople Moves
Moss Bros appoints Joules CEO as new director
Men’s fashion retailer Moss Bros has appointed Colin Porter as its new non-executive director, effective 18 March 2019. According to the retailer, Porter will become chairman of the company following its AGM in May 2019, when, as part of the board’s succession planning, the current chairman, Debbie Hewitt, will retire…
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18 MarchClothing & Shoes
JD Sports to buy Footasylum for £90.1m
JD Sports has revealed it has made an offer to buy its remaining shares in struggling rival retailer Footasylum in a £90.1m takeover. JD Sports said it had “reached [an] agreement on the terms of a recommended cash offer” which will be financed from JD’s existing cash resources and facilities.…
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15 MarchHR
JD Sports named among businesses ‘failing’ on gender diversity
The Investment Association and the Hampton-Alexander Review have written to 69 of the FTSE 350 companies, including fashion retailer JD Sports, outlining concerns about the lack of gender diversity on its boards. The letter, which has been sent to companies who have no women or just one woman on their…
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14 MarchNews
Sports Direct offers Debenhams £150m loan
Debenhams has confirmed it is considering an offer made by Sports Direct for a £150m unsecured 12 month loan. The news comes after the department store announced it was in discussions with its lenders to obtain the funding, a move which seemed to counter shareholder Mike Ashley’s attempt to appoint…
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