Iconic London department store Fortnum & Mason has swooped on high street rivals John Lewis and Marks & Spencer to recruit new board directors.
The recruits are the first to join the new management team led by former Peter Jones supremo Beverley Aspinall. Emma Prince, from Aspinall's old stamping ground at John Lewis Partnership, and Simon Burdess from Marks & Spencer have been appointed as buying directors. Alison Jordan joins as marketing director from beauty brand Molton Brown.
Aspinall said the trio brought a wealth of experience in food and luxury goods retailing, as well as brand-building. 'These appointments give us the capacity and breadth of experience to deliver our ambitious plans,' she said.
Fortnum & Mason's Piccadilly store, part of the Weston family's retail empire, is to undergo a multi-million pound refurbishment. The offer will be repositioned around the themes of food and wine, celebration and entertainment, with the new directors playing a key role in delivering the vision before the end of 2007 - Fortnum & Mason's 300th anniversary year.
At M&S, Burdess was category manager for Cafe Revive, overseeing the roll-out to 190 branches. Post-refurbishment, Fortnum will carry a fresh food offer and have five restaurants, as opposed to the existing three.
Aspinall wants to employ joint sourcing so customers can sample food hall goods in the restaurant.
Jordan will take the lead on Fortnum's direct sales business, which account for a third of the retailer's£40 million annual sales figure.
Aspinall said trading had been tough in central London following last Thursday's terrorist attacks. The store closed by 11 am and she said it had been 'noticeably quieter. From now on it is going to be tough,' she added.
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