He has relinquished the day-to-day running of the UK organisation with immediate effect, but will not leave officially until April 11. For his next move, he said he is keeping his options open but would like to be involved in 'interim projects'.
In the meantime, Hislop will be developing a transactional web site for Habitat. He said: 'I've been tasked with getting things ready for a launch in the autumn.' He added it was expected that incremental online business would come from accessories, gifts and, 'to an extent', furniture.
Hislop, who has previously worked for retailers including Marks & Spencer, Tesco and B&Q, said: 'The business is in materially better shape than when I joined. This year, there has to be cut-through in terms of sales performance.
'I'm at that point in my life where you say to yourself, 'What do I want to do next?' I've had a great time, but the toughest thing in retail is knowing when to quit - while you're still riding the wave.'
A replacement for Hislop has not yet been found.
In 2007, Habitat intends to extend its Hatfield store by 8,000 sq ft (745 sq m) and has Cheltenham in its sights for a new shop if suitable premises can be found. The retailer is also poised to open a store in Manchester's Trafford Park in 2008.
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