British fashion retailer Jigsaw has appointed Lisa Butler as its new retail director, following her short-lived tenure at Russell & Bromley, which recently fell into administration.

Butler joins the heritage brand after serving as global retail director at Russell & Bromley, where she had been brought in as part of an ambitious five-year turnaround strategy. However, the footwear retailer’s collapse earlier this year cut that chapter short.

In a LinkedIn post, Butler reflected on her time at the business, describing it as “short, but meaningful”.

“Last September I joined the British heritage brand Russell & Bromley as part of an exciting five-year reboot strategy,” she said. “With so much opportunity across the business and the chance to shape the retail strategy with real autonomy, I was incredibly excited to join such a passionate and loyal community of people.”

She added that despite the challenges, the business had built strong momentum: “Together, we delivered a strong Q4 and there was a real sense of momentum and belief in what the business could achieve.”

Russell & Bromley entered administration earlier this year, bringing Butler’s tenure to an earlier-than-expected close.

“While this chapter was short, it was a meaningful one, and I am grateful for the relationships built and the experiences gained during that time,” she said.

Butler has now taken up a new role at Jigsaw, where she will lead retail operations across stores and work closely with head office teams.

“I’m very proud to share that I have joined Jigsaw as their new retail director,” she said. “I’m hugely excited to begin this next chapter… contributing to the continued strength and future of this iconic British brand.”

‘It did not have to end this way’

Her appointment comes as former Russell & Bromley ecommerce director Chris Oldham publicly reflected on the collapse of the 145-year-old footwear retailer, suggesting the outcome could have been avoided.

Oldham, who resigned from the board 18 months ago, said the business had lost sight of its core identity during a period of significant transformation.

“Russell & Bromley did not have to end the way it has… What made the brand special wasn’t just the product – it was the people,” he said in a LinkedIn post.

While acknowledging the need for change, Oldham pointed to a series of strategic missteps that undermined the business.

These included an attempted repositioning towards the luxury market that alienated core customers, a shift to a design-led model that removed critical buying expertise, and leadership decisions that lacked sufficient commercial grounding.

He also highlighted structural and operational challenges, including “too many chiefs, not enough operators”, poorly implemented systems such as Microsoft D365, and an overly ambitious transformation agenda spanning rebranding, omnichannel, international expansion and wholesale.

The decision to relocate the head office from Bromley to Soho also significantly increased overheads at a critical time, he added.

Oldham further cited a lack of alignment at board level, with “egos overriding collaboration” and brand values not consistently upheld.

“I feel a personal sense of responsibility. I was part of the board. I raised concerns, but ultimately there is only so much influence one person can have,” he said.

Reflecting on the wider impact, he added: “What disappoints me most is the impact on people’s lives.”

Despite the collapse, Oldham praised the strength of the company’s culture and expressed confidence in former colleagues as they move into new roles.

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