Health and beauty retailer installs former Burger King man to build brand
Boots has hired a marketing director, as it bids to fight back in its battle with the grocers.

Reporting directly to chief executive Richard Baker, Andrew Brent will be charged with developing the Trust Boots brand campaign and consolidating Boots' brand image as the UK's leading health and beauty specialist.

Brent joins on Monday from Burger King, where he was chief marketing officer. Previously, he spent six years at AS Watson, the international health and beauty giant that owns Superdrug, Savers and Perfume shop, some of Boots' fiercest rivals in the UK.

Brent's appointment came as half of Boots' 2,000 head office staff left their desks for the shop floor in an effort to avoid the seasonal stock changeover troubles experienced last year.

He succeeds Ian Hunter, who is likely to move to a role in Boots' international retail arm. A Boots spokesman said: 'Andrew brings great marketing and retail experience.'

A source said that Brent's brief is to develop an appropriate price message as the big grocers intrude into Boots' categories, as well as to attack the high-value cosmetics and health categories. He will also 'mine the gold' from Boots Advantage cardholders.

Headhunter Heidrick & Struggles placed Brent. Meanwhile, about 1,000 Boots head office staff of all levels have spent the past week removing summer stock from shelves and replacing it with new-season goods as the Christmas trading period nears. Baker was expected to pitch in at Boots' Peterborough shop today.

A spokesman said: 'Last year, we noticed a lot of disruption to stores during this changeover. In terms of merchandising, the whole process took too long.'

The retailer hopes that the all- hands-on-deck approach, dubbed Operation Snowstorm, will enable all stores to be restocked within 12 days and nights.

Head office staff have been sent to the shop floor in the immediate lead-up to Christmas for several years, but this is the first time such a redeployment has been ordered in the autumn.

The spokesman said: 'As far as we're concerned, there is no more important place for staff to be at this time of year than in stores.'

As part of his turnaround plan, Baker has cut thousands of HQ jobs, sold and leased back 315 small stores and refocused on the core chain. Boots Healthcare International is being sold - it is likely to fetch in excess of£1 billion- and a partial sale of the Nottingham HQ is being considered.

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