Online retail group Shop Direct has announced changes to its executive board which has led to the appointment of a new retail director.
The parent company of online retailers Very and Littlewoods has promoted Sam Perkins from group product director to group retail director, both the retail and product teams and leading a new combined function.
Perkins will replace Jon Rudoe, who will step down from his role as group retail, technology and data director role.
“Reshaping our executive board in this way is a big and important change for Shop Direct and reflects how serious we are about building a truly customer-centric digital business in order to create a winning customer experience,” Shop Direct chief executive Henry Birch said.
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“Bringing together our product and retail teams will drive improved collaboration, which in turn will enable us to start to change the way we buy and sell products.
“This will have significant benefits for our customers, helping us to serve them better by developing a clearer, more joined-up understanding of their needs.
“I’m confident that Sam Perkins brings the strategic focus, commercial know-how and leadership skills to drive forward this important new function.”
Meanwhile, Shop Direct said it was on the lookout for a new permanent “heavy-hitting” chief technology officer to sit on the executive board.
The retailer – which successfully transitioned from its historic offering as a catalogue retailer to a pureply online retailer – wanted to be an industry leader in technological developments.
JM Domaingue would act as interim chief technology officer until a permanent appointment is announced.
“Simplifying an organisation like Shop Direct, with the legacy processes and ways of working that come with 85 years of history, isn’t a straightforward task,” Birch said.
” But aligning the way we work to the way our customers shop will be a critical enabler in us staying ahead.
“I have no doubt that we have the talent, both at executive board level and throughout the business, to do just that.”
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