Sergio Bucher, the former chief executive of department store group Debenhams, has joined German retail powerhouse Otto Group as executive board member, brands and retail.

Bucher will take up his new role, in which he will be responsible for Otto’s multichannel operations including brands such as Crate & Barrel and Freemans Grattan, at the start of next month.

His appointment marks a comeback after a difficult two years at Debenhams, including coming under siege from Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley and Debenhams’ eventual administration, before he left last spring.

Bucher had previously held senior roles at businesses including Puma, Nike, Inditex, Cortefiel and Amazon Fashion Europe. He was placed in the Otto role by retail search specialist Clarity.

Otto Group supervisory board chair Michael Otto said: “In Sergio Bucher, the Otto Group is gaining an outstanding and internationally highly experienced retail manager, whose comprehensive expertise is a perfect fit with our group of companies’ multichannel activities. I look forward to a fruitful cooperation.”

Bucher said: “The Otto Group shows how an internationally established group of companies can master the massive challenges of the digital transformation with great success. I am very much looking forward to being part of this in these exciting times.”

Founded in 1949, the Otto Group today employs 52,560 people and trades in around 30 countries in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. It generates online revenues of approximately €7.7bn and describes itself as one of the world’s largest online retailers.

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