Naked Wines chair John Walden is to step down from the role in August for personal reasons.

Walden, known for the turnaround and sale of Argos when he ran Home Retail Group, departs following a strong trading period for Naked.

He will be succeeded until next year by Ian Harding, Naked’s senior independent director.

Walden said: “It has been a privilege to lead Naked through its transformation to a pureplay online business, its continued growth and recent successful response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It was a difficult personal decision to step down at this juncture however, it is the right decision for myself and Naked Wines. I leave the business in a strong position to grow and to realise its promise for an extraordinary future.”

Naked reported that total sales in June climbed 67% year on year, bringing growth in the first quarter to 77%, and said it is “ideally positioned to be a long-term winner from the inflection in consumer demand for online wine as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Harding added: “I would like to thank John for his guidance and support during his time as chair. He leaves the group with a strong balance sheet, clear focus and strong growth momentum and we wish him well for the future.”