Move of the Week: Waitrose recruits outside partnership for top retail role
Waitrose’s appointment of the Co-op’s Tina Mitchell as its new retail director is significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, it marks the first time Waitrose has recruited the important role from outside of the partnership having historically promoted from within. It’s also one of the grocery industry’s most coveted positions, setting the shop strategy for the retailer with arguably the most premium positioning among mainstream supermarket chains.
Move of the Week: Waitrose recruits outside partnership for top retail role
Waitrose’s appointment of the Co-op’s Tina Mitchell as its new retail director is significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, it marks the first time Waitrose has recruited the important role from outside of the partnership having historically promoted from within. It’s also one of the grocery industry’s most coveted positions, setting the shop strategy for the retailer with arguably the most premium positioning among mainstream supermarket chains.
Move of the Week: John Lewis fills gaps at the top to face post-Covid balancing act
I’ve noted before how the leadership teams that took retailers into the pandemic will not be the same as those that lead their recovery. This is especially true of retailers most disrupted by Covid-19 – specifically those whose heritage is in stores and who sell discretionary items likes homewares and fashion.
Move of the Week: Marks & Spencer takes big leap forward in its leadership team
The promotions of Stuart Machin and Katie Bickerstaffe announced this week mark a significant step in the evolution of the M&S leadership team
The pair have been named as joint chief operating officers, reporting to chief executive Steve Rowe. In practice, this will see Machin and Bickerstaffe share responsibility for running the day-to-day business leaving Rowe free to concentrate on developing the strategy he hopes will lead the retailer to future growth.
‘As the jobs market reopens, be ready to seize opportunities’
For the four million people who work in British retail the past 12 months has, almost without exception, been extremely challenging. Whether you’ve been stretched to your limit working for an essential retailer or faced with the uncertainty of being furloughed, I would wager it’s not an experience many would wish to repeat.
Move of the Week: Dixons’ sustainability hire is a sign of the changing times
Dixons Carphone’s recruitment of Moira Thomas to lead a new sustainability drive could hardly have been better timed. A matter of hours after Thomas’s appointment was announced, the UK government was committing to a world-leading target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels.
‘As the way we work changes forever, let’s not forget the value of office life’
When John Lewis Partnership chairman Sharon White wrote in a recent letter to partners that “difficult decisions taken now will hopefully set the course for those next generations” she was referring to the rebalancing of the business’s operations from store-based to digital channels.
‘Retail leaders face the task of reuniting furloughed and non-furloughed staff’
The government’s furlough scheme has been a lifeline for many retailers forced to cease or limit trading during the coronavirus pandemic.
ONS data shows that the number of people on furlough peaked at just under 9 million last spring and of those whose wages were being subsidised by the state 1.85 million worked in the retail and wholesale sectors alone.
Move of the Week: Waitrose veteran upgrades to Fortnum & Mason CCO role
Where does a passionate foodie go after ending a 17-year career at upmarket grocer Waitrose? The answer in the case of Rupert Thomas is an even more upmarket grocer in the form of Fortnum & Mason.
‘Tough choices about which staff to retain will soon come to a head’
Boris Johnson’s statement to the nation on Monday contained good and bad news for retailers. The good news is that non-essential retail will be allowed to reopen from April 12 barring a reversal in infection and vaccination trends. The bad news is that this is several weeks later than some businesses had hoped for and that social restrictions are set to remain in some form until the middle of June.
Move of the Week: BP’s Clements aims for market-leading convenience
The recruitment of Tracey Clements is a statement by BP that it finally intends to take its convenience business seriously. In her new role as BP chief executive of convenience Europe she will be responsible for redefining a convenience offer that has for a long time been the poor relation to its fuel business.