Mothercare hires Mark Newton-Jones as interim CEO
Mothercare has hired former Shop Direct boss Mark Newton-Jones as interim chief executive. The move follows the resignation of Simon Calver in February.
Newton-Jones will join Mothercare on 17 March on an interim basis while the retailer seeks a permanent replacement for Calver. He will report to Mathercare chairman Alan Parker but will not be formally appointed to the board.
Having worked with Shop Direct for nearly a decade until July 2013, Newton-Jones is credited with transforming the internet and home shopping business in his role as group chief executive.
Prior to Shop Direct, Newton-Jones worked in senior roles at Next’s high street business and was also the director responsible for Next Directory.
Never Miss a Retail Update!Mothercare chairman Alan Parker said: “We are delighted to have secured the appointment of Mark as our interim CEO. His leadership skills and depth of experience in retailing through stores and online will further enhance our drive to deliver the recovery of the UK business to complement the strong and growing international operations. We look forward to welcoming Mark to Mothercare on 17 March.”
Mothercare has been implementing a restructuring plan in an attempt to turn its struggling UK business around. This has included closing a number of loss-making stores. However, the retailer warned in January that its full-year profits are likely to fall below expectations after UK like-for-like sales dropped by 4% in the 12 weeks to 4 January.
Newton-Jones said: “I’m very much looking forward to working alongside Alan, the board and the executive team of Mothercare, and to help in the transformation of the UK business whilst we continue to grow the successful international division.”
