Move of the week: Paula Nickolds made John Lewis managing director

Nickolds is a John Lewis lifer and has long been earmarked as a future leader of the business.

She is renowned for her exceptional people skills and acute understanding of what customers want from the John Lewis experience.

I’ve no doubt she will make a success of the role, bringing both continuity and a deep affinity with the John Lewis Partnership.

I predicted in October’s Move of the week following the departure of Andy Street that John Lewis would most likely look internally for his replacement, and so it has proved.

There was certainly no shortage of candidates, with the likes of retail director Mark Lewis, group development director Tom Athron and group productivity director Andrew Murphy all vying with Nickolds for the top job.

Benefits of a broad search

I do wonder, however, for how long John Lewis can maintain its proud record of recruiting leaders who joined the business at graduate level given the changing face of retail and in particular its internationalisation.

Granted, as a headhunter you could argue I have a vested interest in retailers conducting as wide a search as possible.

“Nickolds talks about the importance of being part of the John Lewis family, and she’s right to do so, but sometimes it’s good to welcome newcomers into the fold.”

At Anthony Gregg Partnership, our starting point is always to ask whether there are internal candidates who should be considered and to then benchmark them against external candidates, with the necessary psychometric testing.

That way if the business still decides to recruit internally it will immediately highlight the candidate’s development needs.

John Lewis has done a fantastic job in managing the shift to online but the business is not without its challenges, low profit margins being one of them.

International expansion

With the retailer also having eyes on overseas expansion, Nickolds may be well advised to bring in an industry heavyweight at board level – ideally with international experience – to bring a fresh perspective to the business.

Nickolds talks about the importance of being part of the John Lewis family, and she’s right to do so, but sometimes it’s good to welcome newcomers into the fold.

Getting to know your in-laws, for example, may be a daunting prospect initially but they invariably become an indispensable source of wisdom and support.

Time will tell whether Nickolds is brave enough to inject some fresh blood into the John Lewis family unit.

Barry Williams heads to Poundland

I can’t let this week pass without mentioning Barry Williams’s decision to forgo the chance to join Morrisons in favour of taking the trading director’s role at Poundland.

There’s no doubt Williams’ U-turn is a kick in the teeth for Morrisons but I’m convinced he has made the right move not only for his family, who are based in the Midlands, but also for his professional development.

Whereas the role of trading director for ambient at Morrisons felt like a sideways move for Williams, as Poundland’s trading director he will become a vital cog in the machine of a growing retailer with a giant international owner.

The position is perfectly suited to his skills as a trader, while being sufficiently different from previous roles with supermarket chains to present a new challenge, and I wish him every success.