Tesco online director Rimal Patel quits to join Joules

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Joules has poached Tesco’s online director Rimal Patel to spearhead its work with third-party businesses in the UK and overseas.

The fashion retailer has named Patel as its new wholesale and partnerships director, reporting directly to chief executive Nick Jones.

Joules said Patel will be “responsible for strengthening and driving Joules’ partnerships both in the UK and target international markets”.

Patel, who left Tesco today after nine years with the grocer, previously held senior roles at The Very Group – then known as Shop Direct – and John Lewis. He will start at Joules on August 16.

Patel’s exit marks the third high-profile departure from the supermarket giant in the past month.

As revealed by Retail Week in July, Amazon has poached 30-year Tesco veteran Tony Hoggett to run its international stores division.

Hoggett, who had only been promoted into the new role of chief strategy and innovation officer at Tesco in April, will operate out of Amazon’s US headquarters in Seattle when he takes up the role in January.

Just days after details of Hoggett’s exit emerged, Uber Eats appointed Tesco’s online trading director Eve Henrikson to drive its business in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Although Patel’s new role at Joules is a board-level position, details of his appointment were buried in the retailer’s full-year results statement on Tuesday.

Retail Week understands that Tesco wanted to try to keep a lid on the news, given that it came in such close proximity to the departures of Hoggett and Henrikson.