// Kathleen Mitchell named new trading director for John Lewis
// She has been MD at Accessorize since October last year
// She was hired on back of her track record in successfully turning around Accessorize.
John Lewis has appointed Kathleen Mitchell to take on the role of trading director, starting from mid-September.
According to Retail Week, John Lewis raided the senior ranks of Accessorize to poach Mitchell, where she has been managing director since October last year and was branding director before that for three years.
At John Lewis, Mitchell’s remit will reportedly have a focus on reinvigorating the department store chain, leading its strategy across home, fashion, beauty, and electricals in-store and online as part of a wider turnaround scheme.
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Mitchell was reportedly hired on back of her track record in successfully turning around Accessorize.
She also has experience in marketing and management roles ay L’Oréal and is a former managing director of fashion tech start-up Stella & Dot.
“Kathleen brings a huge amount of experience in modernising retail brands which will help support the turnaround of our John Lewis business,” John Lewis executive director Pippa Wicks told Retail Week.
“She will lead our trading strategy across all categories, ensuring that we continue to inspire and delight our customers.”
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