Fashion and homeware retailer Matalan has today announced the appointment of former Asda CEO Allan Leighton as its new Chairman as it announced strong sales for its second quarter.
Leighton will succeed current Chairman John Mills who has been in the position for six years and will now take on the role of Deputy Chairman.
Commenting on the news, Mills said: ““I am delighted to welcome Allan to the Board.
“He brings a wealth of retail experience particularly in the value sector, which will support Matalan‘s ongoing development. We look forward to working with Allan.”
Leighton currently holds a number of Non-Executive positions including Chairman of retailers Office and Pandora and said he is looking forward to working with Matalan.
“I am very excited about this opportunity; Matalan is a great company with a strong brand and management team,” he said.
“I look forward to working with the team to build on its fantastic reputation as a family retailer.”
While total sales rose 4.1 per cent on last year in the 13 weeks to August 25th 2012, EBITDA increased 27.2 per cent to £17.3 million over the period.
Earlier this month, Matalan announced that it is to recruit for some 5,000 staff in the run-up to the festive season in order to help support customer service and improve the shopper experience.
Looking ahead, the retailer said it remained cautious though added that guidance remains unchanged and Darren Blackhurst, Matalan CEO, is positive about the coming months.
He said: “I would like to thank the whole Matalan team for their hard work and effort so far this year.
“Together, we continue to deliver outstanding value for our customers and have navigated our way through a challenging quarter, achieving robust results in a tough, competitive market.
“Whilst we remain cautious in our outlook, with the launch of our exciting new collections for Autumn/Winter and our continued focus on quality, service and value, we are confident we are well placed to delight customers in the months ahead.”
