Fashion retailer River Island has announced Jane Eskriett and Richard Grainger as its new co-managing directors and Kirsty Homer as chief people officer, in a move to strengthen its executive team, Retail Week can reveal.
Eskriett joins from the Boohoo group, where she was most recently managing director of Karen Millen, Oasis, Coast and Warehouse.
River Island said that Eskriett would bring âmuch experience in customer engagement and product developmentâ to her new role.
River Island also signed Grainger from Nextâs Europe and North Africa sourcing division, where he has been managing director since 2019, bringing with him experience across merchandising and channel optimisation.
New chief people officer Homer has held a series of senior positions, including at Mothercare, John Lewis and, most recently, as group HR director at kitchen supplier Howdens.
Homerâs experience would add âextensive strategic HR and people management experience both in the UK and internationallyâ to River Islandâs leadership, the retailer said.
River Island executive chair Richard Bradbury said: âWe are thrilled to welcome Jane, Richard and Kirsty to River Island. Their strong skills and experience will be an asset to the board, our customers and our people.â
The announcement comes following the news that retail director Steve Morris stepped down from the business in July after more than three years in the role.
River Island reported operating profits of ÂŁ73.5m in its latest trading update for the full year to December 25, 2021, up from a loss of ÂŁ36.2m, and EBITDA for the period of ÂŁ94.8m. Revenues jumped 23.2% to ÂŁ740m in the year.
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