Retail Week looks at what the sector’s leaders did before they embraced the wonderful world of retail.

Mike Ashley, founder, Sports Direct – squash player/coach

Mike Ashley

Mike Ashley

Mike Ashley

Maverick Mike Ashley may have made his name through building his Sports Direct empire, however, he was originally going to a sports player rather than a sports retailer.

Ashley became a county-level squash player after he left school, and when injury forced him to retire he went into coaching the sport.

But it was not long before he ventured into retailing, opening his first sport and ski shop in Maidenhead in 1982, which has grown into the UK’s largest sportswear retailer.

Bertrand Bodson, chief digital and marketing director at Sainsbury’s Argos – founder of dare-based social network Bragster.com

Bertrand Bodson has had an eclectic career. Before joining Argos he was in charge of music giant EMI’s digital business. However, it was a different venture that got Bodson a tongue-lashing from music guru Simon Cowell.

Bodson co-founded Bragster.com, a social network and video sharing website on which users dared each other to perform stunts and tasks and carried out one of its dares by dressing up in a blue gorilla outfit and singing ‘I wanna be like you’ from the Jungle Book in an audition for The X Factor.

Cowell, a judge on the reality TV show, was so annoyed that he stormed off and declared: “I haven’t got time for this”.

Bodson sold Bragster.com to Guinness World Records in 2010.

Elizabeth Fagan, UK managing director, Boots – chemistry teacher

Elizabeth fagan crop

Elizabeth Fagan, Boots

Long before Boots’ UK boss Elizabeth Fagan made a name for herself in the health and beauty sector, she was a secondary school chemistry teacher in her native Scotland.

She spent three years in the role before beginning her retail life at the very business she is now at the helm of, as a buyer for Boots.

Janette Cross, head of customer experience at Foyles – actress

Janette Cross planned to work at book store Foyles for a year to support her acting work. Now, 13 years on, she is leading its customer experience strategy.

Cross had acted on stage and in TV shows including Merseybeat and Murphy’s Law before she traded treading the boards for the shopfloor in 2004.

She has been Foyles’ head of customer experience since July 2015.

Konditor & Cook managing director Paul Cons – managed the Hacienda nightclub

Paul Cons, Konditor & Cook

Paul Cons, Konditor & Cook

Paul Cons, Konditor & Cook

Paul Cons made the move from acid house to victoria sponge as he swapped his role managing Manchester’s legendary Hacienda club to become the boss of London-based cake firm Konditor & Cook.

Cons, who is married to the cake shop’s founder Gerhard Jenne, has steadily grown the business since he took the helm in 2010 and plans to double its store numbers from six to 12 over the next three years.

Marcus East, global digital director, M&S – Peter Gabriel’s advisor

Marcus East is another retailer with a musical connection, as before he worked for M&S he was charged with leading music legend Peter Gabriel’s technology venture,The Real World Group.

East was chief executive of the business in 2009 – which includes a record label, recording studios and a festival – and continued to advise Gabriel until 2011.

He also worked as chief digital officer of Comic Relief before he joined M&S in 2016.

Mark Fenwick, chairman of Fenwick – managed Roxy Music

Mark fenwick

Mark Fenwick

It’s not so much as other lives, but concurrent lives for Fenwick chairman Mark Fenwick. Not only does he chair the family department store business, Fenwick also runs a very successful music management company.

Fenwick managed Roxy Music and T-Rex in the 70s and even today counts Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters among his clients.

 

Dave Whelan, founder of JJB Sports and DW Sports – footballer

Sports retail legend Dave Whelan has made a career out of his love of the beautiful game in a variety of sectors.

Before founding JJB Sports in 1977, Whelan was a professional footballer for Blackburn Rovers.

He traded in the floodlights of the pitch for the bright lights of retail until 2007, when he sold his stake in the retailer.

However, the former athlete made business from his passion for sports in a variety of guises – whether by buying Wigan Athletic football club in 1995 or snapping up DW Sports Fitness in 2009.