Womenswear retailer Jacques Vert has hired former Aurora Fashions IT chief John Bovill as its new commercial director.

Bovill, who was chief information officer at Aurora, took voluntary redundancy at the end of June after 12 years at the retailer, formally known as Mosiac Fashions, following its decision to outsource IT and distribution services.

Prior to his role in IT, Bovill was business development director at Mosaic. He started at Jacques Vert last week.

The hiring signals the possibility that Jacques Vert could be eyeing acquisitions, according to one industry observer, who said: “It’s doing incredibly well. Its balance sheet means it’s in a position to take over some brands in that market. They’ve found a gap in the market for older clothing.”

Retail Week Knowledge Bank director Robert Clark agreed that the retailer, which also owns the Planet, Précis and William Baird brands, could be in a position to acquire brands.

He said: “Things are stirring after a period of decline for Jacques Vert. They’ve been pretty low profile for a while, but its turnaround is on track and the business is revived.”

The womenswear retailer increased full-year pre-tax profit 3.1% to £5.3m in its year to April 30. Sales grew 2.6% to £118.4m.

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