Monsoon Accessorize has appointed a new, permanent finance director to take over from interim boss Adrian Walsh.

Elaine Deste replaces Walsh, who joined the retailer as interim finance and property director in August 2015.

Deste previously worked for eight years with O2 Telefónica, with recent role as finance director for the B2B division.

Prior to that, she was director of planning and performance, and director of logistics finance at Safeway.

Monsoon Accessorize has struggled in a tough fashion market recently, deciding to close about 141 dual fascia stores over the next five years and instead run the two businesses as separate entities.

In May it reported that EBITDA had plunged 59% to £19.3m in the year to August 29, 2015. Total sales in the period fell 8.6% to £434m.

Monsoon did not disclose a like-for-like sales figure.

Overall, Monsoon recorded a net loss of £617,000 for the year, compared with a profit of £18m the prior year.

It installed Paul Allen as its permanent chief executive in January, nearly a year after he became interim boss.

Allen, who joined Monsoon in 2013 as finance director, took over from John Browett as its chief last February.

Browett left to become chief executive at Dunelm Group.

Allen had previously spent 10 years at Jacques Vert as chief executive.

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