House of Fraser's Nigel Oddy to run The Range

Oddy unveiled his intentions to exit the department store chain last November after less than two years in the role. He has since been on gardening leave.

He will start at the value homewares and garden retailer on May 1.

The Range, currently headed up by founder Chris Dawson, has 137 UK stores with ambitions for up to 600 shops.

Dawson said: “The appointment of Nigel really takes us to the next level and allows us to continue with our planned projects at high speed. He has an extensive retail background and I am confident that he will fit in very well with the current team. Nigel will work closely with myself”

The Range has had a busy start to 2017 and has opened five superstores with over 30 more shops planned for this year. It is also set to open its new 1.2 million sq ft distribution centre in Avonmouth, Bristol by the summer.

Oddy joined House of Fraser in 2007 from Marks & Spencer. He became chief operating officer in 2013 before being appointed chief executive in 2015. 

Its former boss John King stepped down following the retailer’s acquisition by Chinese conglomerate Sanpower Group.

Last week, House of Fraser said it would announce Oddy’s successor before the end of the month.

Oddy’s decision to exit House of Fraser after less than two years at the helm surprised many in the industry. His departure was the culmination of a troubled year for the chain, which had lost top executives including chief customer officer Andy Harding during the preceding months. 

The retailer is currently embarking on a turnaround plan which centres around honing in on its core customer and investing in stores in a bid to capture customer spend through experiential retail.