Department store Debenhams has poached Argos‘ e-commerce chief to drive forward its multichannel strategy after the exit of Simon Forster at the end of last year, it has been announced today.
Ross Clemmow will operate as Divisional Trading Director of e-Commerce at Debenhams and take over from Forster, who exited the retailer last December to take charge of the multichannel department of luxury department store Selfridges.
Clemmow‘s loss will be a bitter blow to Argos at a time of substantial change, as the retailer implements a digital overhaul amid a £300 million investment over the next three years.
However, Debenhams is also keen to establish itself in the multichannel sphere and CEO Michael Sharp emphasised the importance of the offer after the retailer was forced to issue a profit warning for its first half earlier this month after a 10 per cent fall in like-for-like sales over the Christmas period.
Speaking at the time, Sharp explained: “Our strategy to build a leading international, multichannel brand remains on track and we continue to focus on the four pillars of the strategy and investing in our business for long-term, sustainable growth.”
Establishing a strong identity in the increasingly competitive digital arena is crucial to retailers across all sub-sectors and earlier today, grocer Waitrose announced that it has poached Ocado‘s e-commerce executive to head its multichannel operations.
Welcoming Clemmow to his new role, which he will begin in June this year, Sharp said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Ross Clemmow as Divisional Trading Director e-Commerce.
“Ross joins us from Argos where he has held the position of Director of e-Commerce and Multichannel Strategy and brings a wealth of e-commerce experience to Debenhams.”
