PowerHouse recruits key buyer

Electricals chain PowerHouse has fortified its management team with the appointment of Rebecca Hackett to a key buying role.

Hackett has worked at George at Asda, Bhs and Next.

She is the most recent senior appointment to the team being forged by Kiwi chief executive Peter Halkett. Human resources director Nadine Jones is spearheading a recruitment drive and David Riley has been appointed sales director.

Hackett was part of the team drafted in to turn Bhs around. Halkett said: 'She will be co-ordinating product, marketing, logistics and financial services. We wanted her for her planning skills and we're happy to have talented people joining us.' She will take the role of general manager for commercial performance, and will report to commercial director Nigel Samuels.

Halkett said the appointment would be pivotal in improving the peak trading performance of PowerHouse. 'Even though we only arrived in November, we still managed to trade at 70 per cent of what we called break-even last Christmas. We see an opportunity to do a lot better this year,' he said.

Earlier this month, PowerHouse shareholders, including majority owner and millionaire Eric Watson, approved the sale of the New Zealand retail businesses Noel Leeming, Bond & Bond and Big Byte for NZ$138.5 million (£50 million). The proceeds will be used to support PowerHouse and Bendon, the lingerie business that controls the Elle Macpherson Intimates licence.