It’s been a busy day for the nation’s retail boardrooms today with news from Kingfisher and WHSmith hitting the headlines.
Screwfix boss Andrew Livingston has quit the Kingfisher-owned DIY business to become chief executive of Howden Joinery Group.
Livingston will be succeeded by Screwfix operations and property director Graham Bell.
Meanwhile, as exclusively revealed by Retail Week, WHSmith has restructured its senior management team.
The most noteworthy move is that Carl Cowling, the current managing director of WHSmith Travel, has been promoted to take up the same role at the helm of the bookseller and stationer’s high street division – a newly created position.
This could indicate that Smiths is looking to adopt some tenets of its highly successful travel arm’s approach in its high street branches.
At the travel arm Toby Keir, at present commercial director, will become managing director of UK travel and Phil McNally, commercial director at the high street business, has been appointed to the new role of managing director, international travel, excluding Australia.
Elsewhere today, JD Sports will open new dual-fascia gyms and stores and Dunelm’s like-for-likes decreased over its full-year despite a boost in its fourth quarter.
Quote of the day
“Whilst the downgrade is disappointing, we believe full-year 2017 should be viewed as a year of transition reflecting necessary investment for future growth before a return to earnings growth in full-year 2018 and 2019”
– Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Mark Photiades on Dunelm’s fourth-quarter results
Today in numbers
£36.3m
Superdrug stablemate Savers’ pre-tax profit year-on-year, up 24.8%
40,000
The number of full-time jobs created across Hammerson’s portfolio of shopping centres and retail parks this year
Monday’s agenda
Look out for our latest data piece unveiling the 20 most trusted retailers in the UK.
Becky Waller-Davies, reporter
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