Department store Debenhams has appointed Google‘s Director of Retail Peter Fitzgerald as a Non-Executive Director, the retailer announced today.
Fitzgerald has previously worked as Director of Business Development at pure play e-tailer Amazon and it is hoped that the American‘s sound knowledge of e-commerce innovation will help boost the retailer‘s position in the market.
Speaking of Fitzgerald‘s appointment, Debenhams Chairman Nigel Northridge said:”Peter Fitzgerald has a wealth of experience in helping retail businesses to realise their online ambitions with acknowledged industry-leaders Amazon and Google.
“Growing our multichannel business is a crucial part of Debenhams‘ strategy and, as one of the leading experts in his field, we look forward to Peter‘s contribution as a member of the board.”
Last month, Debenhams announced a total sales rise of 2.6 per cent in its full year and noted that online sales had risen 40 per cent in the year while sales via mobile channels increased 27 per cent on the 2011.
It is hoped that Fitzgerald‘s strong credentials will help the company compete with the likes of John Lewis, which last month reported online sales growth of 40 per cent in its first half while its click & collect service saw sales soar 114 per cent.
Fitzgerald is looking forward to the challenge of his new role, commenting; “I am very pleased to be joining the board of Debenhams.
“I hope my experience working with businesses to help them succeed online will be valuable to the business and look forward to working closely with the team.”
