Kesa Electricals has appointed a new chief executive Thierry Falque-Pierrotin to replace Jean-Noël Labroue, who has decided to retire.

Falque-Pierrotin will take up the role on January 5 and Labroue will step down after a handover period. Falque-Pierrotin joins the electricals retailer – which owns Comet – from PPR, where he has been chairman and chief executive of its home shopping arm Redcats since 2001.

Kesa chairman David Newlands said: “I am delighted to welcome Thierry to Kesa as our chief executive. He brings with him substantial experience in European and international multichannel retailing and I look forward to working with him to build on the strong foundations for growth established by Jean-Noël.

“On behalf of the board I would like to thank Jean- Noël for his considerable contribution to the group. He successfully managed the demerger from Kingfisher over five years ago and has continued to improve performances at our established businesses, as well as opening operations in new markets, which are essential for our future growth. We wish him well in his retirement.”