The man who helped bring Flying Tiger Copenhagen to the UK has been appointed executive chairman of the retailer less than a year after he sold his stake in the business.
Philip Bier, along with his wife Emma Bier – both of whom co-founded and opened the first Flying Tiger Copenhagen in Basingstoke in 2005 – sold their 50 per cent stake in the homewares and variety retailer to Copenhagen-based parent company Zebra in January.
According to Retail Week, Philip Bier – who was previously managing director – acted as a consultant on a part-time basis for the retailer since June, but will now return on a full time basis.
He is now in charge of three separate UK retail divisions of Flying Tiger Copenhagen, with stores located in Scotland and the south east and north of England.
His role as newly appointed role as executive chairman also sees him replace managing director Richard Boyd, who resigned last month.
Bier told Retail Week that his job would primarily evolve around “the day-to-day management of the business” rather than focusing on the business strategy for the retailer’s UK arm.
Emma Bier, who was previously head of design and marketing, will not return.
The couple received a multimillion-pound windfall after selling their stake in the business earlier this year.
Formerly known as Tiger, the retailer rebranded itself last year to Flying Tiger Copenhagen.
Sometimes described as a “posh Poundland”, the retailer now has around 90 stores in the country and in its most recent financial accounts from 2015, sales rose 69 per cent to £62 million.
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