• Wyevale appoints former Homebase exec Paul Emslie as commerical director
  • Terra Firma-owned group’s trading director and multichannel director exit the business
  • New supply chain director appointed
  • Wyevale rumoured to be lining up deal to acquire Tesco’s Dobbies business

Wyevale Garden Centres has hired former Homebase executive Paul Emslie as the retailer continues to reshape its senior management team.

Emslie, who spent four and a half years as Homebase’s commercial director, will join Wyevale as trading and marketing director, Retail Week understands.

He joins the new chief executive, former Toys R Us UK boss Roger Mclaughlan, and new finance boss Anthony Jones on its top team.

Emslie was among a number of senior executives to exit Homebase earlier this year as new owner Australian retail giant Wesfarmers swung the axe, Retail Week revealed.

As Emslie joins Wyevale, the retailer’s trading director Dan Zinner will exit the group. Zinner has spent nearly three years at Wyevale and will stay for a “short” handover period. It is not immediately clear if he has another role lined up.

The shake-up comes as Wyevale’s owner, private equity group Terra Firma, is reportedly lining up a deal to acquire Tesco’s garden centre business Dobbies. The deal would make Wyevale the UK’s largest garden centre operator. 

Wyevale’s multichannel director, Tim Patten, is also leaving the business to join TM Lewin. Patten, a former Morrisons and Jack Wills executive, spent a year at Wyevale helping to build its new transactional website.

Patten will stay with the retailer to launch the site and leave at the end of this month.

In another change, Richard Morgan will join Wyevale as supply chain director. He joins from car parts retailer Euro Car Parts.

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