Bellwether Carpetright updated this week. Nicola Harrison profiles the man widely expected to succeed founder Lord Harris at the helm

In some ways, Martin Harris is in an unenviable position. The group commercial director of Carpet­right, which updated the market this week, has worked under his father most of his working life, and is heading towards taking the top job himself at some stage in the future.

But carving out his own path in the shadow of one of the UK’s greatest retailers - Carpetright founder and chairman Lord Phil Harris - cannot be an easy task.

The challenge does not seem to phase Harris junior. He may be being groomed by his father to take on the family business, but he is philosophical about his chances of taking the reins - the decision will lie ultimately with the listed retailer’s board.

Earlier this year he told Retail Week: “I’m trying to do my best to get myself into the best position to take the role. But if a better person comes along, I wouldn’t sulk in the corner. Nepotism isn’t a word we use here. You don’t have to be the striker as long as you’re on the winning team.”

But City observers seem to regard him as the heir apparent to the Carpetright throne. “It’s very likely,” says Seymour Pierce analyst Freddie George, adding there would be “no

surprises” if Harris was named his father’s successor. “It’s expected,” says George. “There wouldn’t be a huge impact on the share price.”

George points out, however, that Lord Harris does not look as if he will step down any time soon and his son might find it hard to put his own stamp on the business. “It’s his baby,” says George, of Harris the elder. “He’ll always have strong views.”

He likens the situation to that of Sir Ken Morrison, who was “always in the background” at the grocer, even when he was no longer running the company day to day.

George wonders whether Martin Harris - who he describes as “quite shy” - has the same hard nose as his father, who built up the retailer from scratch after opening a single market stall. However, redundancies recently made at Carpetright might indicate otherwise.

Harris has the greatest of respect for his father, who is often seen as the big-ticket sector’s sharpest reader of the market. “I marvel at what he does,” Martin Harris has said. “He has lots of energy; it’s infectious.”

But Martin Harris has his own strengths. He is an astute marketer and has driven the repositioning of the retailer’s brand so that adverts do not just scream about prices. Instead there is a new focus on quality.

He is also spearheading Carpetright’s internal programme, Project 20:20. The project is designed to get to grips with the mindset of the customer and then to deliver better service. It involves all levels of the business and Harris has described it as “one of the biggest initiatives Carpetright has ever undertaken”.

The project shows there is no doubting the family man’s eagerness to push through progressive initiatives, such as the retraining of all Carpetright’s staff on how to sell beds as well as carpets, the skilling up of its carpet fitters through a new fast-track academy and a focus on online.

Harris, who like his father is a keen supporter of educational improvement through the Harris Foundation, is personable and enthusiastic and his in-depth knowledge of the sector will stand him in good stead for the chief executive’s role. “He knows the business inside out,” says George, who views him as a “safe pair of hands” as well as “passionate” about the business.

Harris describes himself as “very much a people person” and believes great results are the product of a great team. “It’s not the good work you do, it’s the good work your people do,” he has said. And he likes to show his appreciation. In Carpetright’s headquarters there is a giant fish tank that he recently bought as a present to staff. He also had the canteen redesigned to include a games room to encourage socialising.

He obviously thinks the ‘soft’ side of business has a place, even though hard decisions are sometimes needed, in delivering the performance the City demands.

Age 41

Interests Sailing, diving, outdoor activities, Arsenal FC

Retail career Harris has worked at Carpetright since 1991. Prior to that he worked at Harveys Furnishings, and in Hamleys when he was a schoolboy