Overall churn of retail bosses in 2019 saw a 25% increase to 55 across the sector, up from 45 changes the previous year according to Korn Ferry’s UK Retail CEO Tracker report.

The report also found that 37% of chief executives who lost their jobs last year had been in the role for less than three years and that the fashion, luxury and apparel categories were the worst affected across the industry.

The report said the high turnover rate among retail bosses was driven by “wavering consumer confidence, Brexit uncertainty, a general election and ongoing challenges of rent and business rates [which] combined to create an ‘annus horribilis’ for retail”.