House of Fraser exec Ysanne Jenkins exits in further shake-up

Jenkins had been with the department store chain for 11 years and was promoted to her current role - executive director home, food & beauty - a year ago.

Her role is being replaced following the arrival of former Asos executive Maria Hollins next month.

House of Fraser, which is owned by Chinese conglomerate Sanpower, has witnessed a number of high profile departures of late as its marketing boss, multichannel boss and digital director have all exited in the space of four months.

Hollins, who has also worked for Arcadia Group and Whistles, takes the newly-created title of executive director buying & design, as reported last month.

In a letter to suppliers, seen by Retail Week, House of Fraser boss Nigel Oddy wrote: “This new role will bring a number of benefits to the business including a stronger house brand identity, a more strategic view of space management across our estate, a more defined and consistent approach to best practice in buying, design, sourcing and with our brand partner relationships whether own bought or concession.”

Oddy said the decision was taken “following a review of the House of Fraser executive committee structure”.

Hollins appointment also comes after the departure of its executive director apparel & accessories, Jackie Hay, who has joined Michael Kors.

House of Fraser has undergone significant changes since Sanpower acquired the group in 2014.

In February last year, Oddy was appointed chief executive as a replacement for long-serving boss John King as part of a restructure. In a further shake-up last summer, the chain restructured as part of a bid to the put the customer at the centre of its business.