Mothercare appoints former Sainsbury's man as new retail boss

Henwood replaces former UK head of retail Jeff Fagan who left the maternity specialist in the summer after less than a year in post.

Henwood joins Mothercare from vehicle glass repair specialist Autoglass where he was operations director for five years.

Prior to joining Autoglass, he was regional operations director at Sainsbury’s for two years, heading up a team of 15 store managers across Surrey.

Henwood began his career in retail at Marks & Spencer in 1999 moving through the ranks from store manager through various roles to area manager, a position he left to join Sainsbury’s in September 2005.

Henwood joins a UK management team which includes new chief executive Simon Calver who joined Mothercare in April and former Asda commercial director Mike Logue who was appointed UK managing director at Mothercare last autumn.

Calver will hope Henwood can aid him in his bid to revive the struggling maternity retailer. Calver unveiled a three year plan to improve stores, customer service and new product development in May.

Admore Recruitment senior partner Jeremy Ellerd-Styles said Henwood’s appointment was a smart move. He said: “Nick Henwood has a big job on his hands at Mothercare not, in my opinion, because of the much publicised reasons regarding store portfolio or margin pressures, but because he will need to engage a workforce to change its views on what good customer service is. This will be a massive cultural shift for a loyal and long serving workforce.

“Nick comes with a great track record with a career spanning Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and, more recently, Autoglass where he transformed the customer experience. Coupled with other significant appointments, Mothercare look well positioned to make the changes required to secure the brand’s future.”