Chief executive
Shop Direct Group

Few would have predicted that Shop Direct Group would have been the buyer of Woolworths and that the iconic high street chain would make its way back to its customers as a pure-play online retailer.

But Newton-Jones is nothing if not highly ambitious and very focused on opportunities. Shop Direct’s ever-optimistic and enthusiastic chief executive has had to work hard to turn Littlewoods, once a dated high street chain, into a more modern online business relying less on catalogues and more on the growing e-tail platform.

Now Littlewoods is opening up its sites for international customers and with the Woolworths launch and the rebranding of Littlewoods Direct as Very, another busy year lies ahead.