Knoops appoints new non-executive directors as it looks ahead to international growth
Knoops, the chocolate drinks retailer, has appointed Julian Metcalfe and Alice Avis as non-executive directors as it looks ahead to growth and international expansion in the coming decade.
Metcalfe co-founded Pret A Manger and also founded Itsu while Avis is a former chief executive and chair of the Sanctuary Spa Group. Earlier in her career, Avis was director of marketing and ecommerce at Marks and Spencer and also worked with drinks giant Diageo.
Knoops has also announced that it has secured EIS approval for a £5 million fundraising, which will be led by Lush co-founder Andrew Gerrie.
The company will be looking to benefit from Gerrie’s experience in taking businesses global, which has included the expansion of Lush into Asia and the US, and his experience at Hotel Chocolat where he was chairman from 2015 until the retailer’s recent sale to Mars. He is also an investor and non-executive director of Phoenix Asset Management Partners.
Knoops is the 100% owner of its UK multichannel operations and now has 20 stores across the country. It has recently opened new sites in Bristol, Edinburgh, Nottingham and Leeds, and has a pipeline of new locations in York, Exeter and Belfast.
William Gordon-Harris (pictured), chief executive of Knoops, said: “The reality of Knoops being a leading global brand has taken one step closer with Julian and Alice joining the board and investing in the business alongside Andrew.
“Their belief in the scale and scope of our chocolate drinks offering and the ability of Knoops to lead this unique category is a fantastic endorsement. We are building upon our world-class team to realise our ambitions.”
