Wilko appoints new CEO and bolsters board in reshuffle

The value general merchandise retailer has appointed Saint-Marc, who joined the business as transformation director in 2018, as its new chief executive – the first time someone has held the role at Wilko since Stuart Mitchell stepped down in 2012.

Saint-Marc, who has previously held roles across supply chain and transformation at Tesco and Morrisons, will join Wilko family director and chair Lisa Wilkinson and chief financial officer Alex Russo on the retailer’s board.

Wilko said Saint-Marc will be tasked with “energy and alignment around Wilko’s strategic repositioning” as a product and multichannel-focused retailer in his new role, while Russo will oversee property, IT, logistics, legal and compliance functions alongside finance.

Both will report to Wilkinson, who said: “As group transformation director, Jerome is already a high performing and widely respected member of our leadership team and has played a key role in both the development and delivery of our long-term strategy and programme of change. We’re confident this appointment set us up well to keep sorting the needs of hard-working families in their homes and gardens through greater product focus.”

Saint-Marc added: “I’m excited by the privilege and opportunity this role brings. It’s the brief of a lifetime to work with a household brand that is 90 years young, to transform it to meet the needs of consumers today in their homes and gardens and to lead one of the biggest private family-owned companies in the UK. For all the challenges facing UK retail today at Wilko, we still believe Britain is a nation of shopkeepers and shoppers and still believe the high street has an important role to play in helping local communities to thrive.”

Saint-Marc has appointed Christian Ward, who has previously held roles at B&Q and M&S, as Wilko’s new retail director and promoted commercial implementation director Alison Hands to trading director.

As part of the shake-up, chief commercial officer Andrew Moore, who joined the retailer last year and was Asda’s chief merchandising officer until 2017, has stepped down.

Wilkinson said: “We were very lucky to persuade Andrew to come out of retirement and as a holding board we’re greatly appreciative for the leadership and support he’s provided to us during the past year. He’s helped us to lay stronger commercial foundations for our future growth and we wish him all the very best for the future.”