Steinhoff UK has poached Alexander Bartholomew from The Range to head up its ecommerce and digital functions at Harveys and Bensons for Beds.

Bartholomew, who became multichannel director at The Range in 2014, will join the Steinhoff UK board as ecommerce and digital director early next year. 

He previously held senior roles at John Lewis Partnership and Dunelm.

The move follows the recent appointment of Stuart Machin as Steinhoff UK chief executive who, since the start of his tenure, has restructured the senior leadership teams at both Harveys and Bensons for Beds.

He created new chief operations officer and chief customer officer roles in a bid to drive the home and furniture businesses forward.

Machin – who joined the South African conglomerate from Wesfarmers-owned supermarket chain Coles – said this latest hire forms part of the retailer’s strategy to provide “an outstanding customer experience”.

“We have identified a great opportunity within ecommerce and digital, and I am confident Alexander will add to the already great work the ecommerce and digital team has implemented over recent years,” he said.