SuperGroup chief operating officer Susanne Given has stepped down from the retailer’s board and will leave the company in the summer.
Given joined SuperGroup in April 2012 and was responsible for the UK retail division as well as central support functions.
The retailer said its management team has been strengthened over the past few years and can therefore pick up Given’s responsibilities. Heads of UK retail as well as IT and logistics will now report directly to chief executive Euan Sutherland.
Some analysts expressed shock at the move and suggested it was due to a management disagreement. Independent analyst Nick Bubb said: “It looks as if she has fallen victim to internal politics, in the wake of Euan Sutherland’s recent arrival as CEO.”
However a SuperGroup spokesman told Retail Week: “The decision to leave was Susanne’s and it was an amicable parting.”
Given will remain in her role until the summer.
SuperGroup chairman Peter Bamford said: “On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Susanne for her significant contribution to the growth and development of SuperGroup. Susanne played a crucial role in leading key investment programmes which have upgraded the infrastructure and processes of our business and were recently tested to the full over the peak Christmas trading period. We wish her every success in her future career.”
The fashion retailer had a record trading period over Christmas 2014 and has recently announced its intention to invest further in its online offering.
SuperGroup was so confident of being able to manage demand over Christmas that it took orders for next-day delivery until 10pm on December 23 for delivery on Christmas Eve.
Despite promotions before Christmas, the business posted strong like-for-like sales growth over the quarter ended January 10 and sales increased 12.4%. Total sales increased 17.8% over the period.
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