New Look has named Mark Matthews as its new retail director, tasking him with overseeing the store estate and accelerating the fashion chain’s omnichannel strategy.
Matthews joins from a background spanning Co-op Food, Bonmarché, George at Asda and Selfridges, bringing experience in operations, visual merchandising and in-store digital.
He said he was joining at “a pivotal time” for the brand and looked forward to building on its progress in delivering a seamless experience across channels.
He succeeds Elaine Cartwright, who is stepping down after 12 years with the business. CEO Helen Connolly said Matthews brought “extensive industry expertise and a customer-first mindset,” adding that the store estate remained “a vital part” of the omnichannel strategy. She thanked Cartwright for leaving the retail division “in a place of strength”.
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The appointment comes as fashion retailer pushes forward with its transformation agenda, including optimising its store network and strengthening digital integration.
New Look said recent concept upgrades at Bluewater and Manchester delivered strong double-digit like-for-like growth, underlining the retailer’s focus on improving the customer journey through innovation and modernised store formats.
Over the past five years, New Look has revamped its website and app, built a 10 million-strong customer base and maintained leading positions in dresses, denim, outerwear and footwear.
Earlier this year the retailer committed £30m to powering the next stage of digital growth, including the launch of its first loyalty programme, Club New Look, now at more than 700,000 members.
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