Mark Newton-Jones has joined struggling babycare specialist Mothercare as interim chief executive.
Newton-Jones, who was group chief executive of Shop Direct for over nine years, succeeds Simon Calver who unexpectedly left Mothercare last month following disastrous Christmas sales in which shares plunged 30 per cent.
He had previously held senior roles at Next with a retail career spanning over 20 years.
Alan Parker, chairman of Mothercare, said: “We are delighted to have secured the appointment of Mark as our interim CEO. His leadership skills and depth of experience in retailing through stores and online will further enhance our drive to deliver the recovery of the UK business to complement the strong and growing international operations. We look forward to welcoming Mark to Mothercare on 17 March.”
