Whittard appoints ex-Molton Brown CEO as MD
Specialist tea and coffee retailer Whittard has appointed Sara Holton as managing director. Her previous role was CEO of Molton Brown and prior to that she held senior positions at Borders Books and Monsoon.
Commenting on her appointment, Halton said: “I am delighted to be joining Whittard at this time. It is clearly a retail brand with huge potential and I much look forward to working with the management team and the company’s owners in taking the company through the next exciting stage of its development.”
Whittard went into administration in 2008 and has now completed the first phase of its turnaround plan following the purchase of the company by EPIC Private Equity.
Mike Taylor, who is currently managing director of both Whittard and gift retailer Past Times, said: “Whittard has successfully completed the first phase of the turnaround plan we embarked on two years ago. It has a clear brand positioning in the UK which is now being rapidly leveraged overseas through its international franchise and wholesale business, alongside the new website launched in April. Having delivered 10% like for like sales growth in 2010, and with sales up 5% like for like in the year to date, we believe the brand has significant growth potential across all channels.”
Joe Wilson, investment director at EPIC Private Equity, added: “Whittard has grown to the point where it now requires a managing director with experience of similar brands and channels to market—Sara brings a wealth of relevant experience from her time at Molton Brown to the role. This appointment will enable Whittard to develop fully its UK and international brand potential.”
Whittard was established in 1886 and celebrates its 125th anniversary this year. It operates 76 stores in the UK, 30 international franchise stores in seven countries and wholesales to 26 countries.
