New Look appoints former Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe as new chair

Coupe, who was Sainsbury’s chief executive for six years and exited the business last year, will join New Look on September 29.

During his Sainsbury’s tenure, Coupe was responsible for the turnaround of its Tu clothing division and the acquisition of Home Retail Group, which included the Habitat and Argos fascias that have now been incorporated into the business.

McGeorge was chair of New Look between 2011 and 2014, and returned to the retailer in 2017 as executive chair to aid its turnaround strategy.

He took a step back from day-to-day operations following the appointment of Nigel Oddy as chief executive in January 2020.

During the past 18 months, New Look has survived the coronavirus pandemic and completed a CVA and financial recapitalisation.

Coupe said: “I am delighted to be joining New Look at this moment in time. As a leading womenswear brand known for its broad appeal fashion, the business has a significant opportunity to capitalise on through its omnichannel model and loyal customer base.

”I am looking forward to working closely with Nigel and the rest of his team to deliver long-term and sustainable growth.”

McGeorge added: “After four years as chair, now is the right time for me to stand down. New Look is in a remarkably better position now than it was when I returned to it in 2017.

”This is fundamentally due to decisive actions taken to restructure the business operationally and financially and to recover the broad appeal fashion and great value that New Look is known for, which has been led by Nigel and his team.

“I leave the business in incredibly capable hands and the company will benefit greatly from Mike’s invaluable expertise, experience and oversight as it looks to continue on the positive trajectory it is set on.”