Bookseller The Works seeks new MD

The Works chairman and chief executive Anthony Solomon is aiming to hire someone to look after the day-to-day running of the chain after managing director Bob Lister left in April to run department store chain TJ Hughes.

Investment firm Endless owns both chains.

In its most recent set of company accounts the 300-store book chain clocked up 14.7% growth in like-for-likes and a 19.4% increase in turnover to £106.1m in the year to April 25, 2010.

The retailer bounced back into the black in the period, posting a pre-tax profit of £7m against a pre-tax loss of £1.6m the year before.

Endless bought The Works out of administration in May 2008.

The Works, which declined to comment, has previously said it could have up to 600 stores.

Although The Works is achieving a robust turnaround, the books sector continues to struggle. British Bookshops and Stationers collapsed in January. It was a former investment of Endless but was sold to management in 2010.

Retail Week Knowledge Bank director Robert Clark said: “It really needs to get an operations person in. They will have to keep a watch on costs and buying for operational efficiencies.”