Wickes hires Tesco director for new chief retail and distribution officer role

Steven Blair, who has been director of strategy and business planning at Tesco since 2024, will join the board of Wickes in March. 

Blair has been at Tesco for almost 10 years, and has held roles including business support director and retail director for large stores. Prior to joining Tesco, Blair held operational leadership positions at B&Q and Tradepoint, having begun his retail career as a store manager at Marks & Spencer. 

Wickles group chief executive David Wood said: “We are delighted that Steven is joining Wickes to lead our retail and distribution operations, at such an exciting time for the business. His extensive retail leadership experience, passion for the sector and deep expertise in managing operations will add tremendous value to our team. I’m very much looking forward to working with him as we focus on delivering continued growth, sustained market outperformance and most importantly help our customers feel house proud.”

Steven Blair said: “Wickes’ people-first culture and inspiring purpose have always set it apart, and I’ve long admired both. I am delighted to be joining the executive team at such an exciting time for the company. By putting colleagues and customers at the heart of everything we do, I’m confident we can achieve great things together, and I can’t wait to get started to help deliver the growth strategy.”