Return to luxury for revamped Wallis offering

Womenswear chain Wallis, part of Philip Green's Arcadia empire, has completed the line-up of a revamped creative team and is poised to step back into the limelight for spring.

Helen Beney started as the new buying director late last year, moving from Arcadia fascia Evans. She joins creative director Tim Whitmore, who moved from Miss Selfridge. They will work with head of design Gillian Vadgama, an outsider from Karen Millen, who joined last year.

Whitmore said the new team would take the 277-outlet chain to new heights.

He said: 'Wallis drifted in the past three to four years. It went too mainstream.' Changes in store design, visual merchandising and product will help give the retailer a more contemporary feel, the results of which will hit the high street this Easter, he added.

'It has been a successful business, but it was time for a revamp. We're going back to the core Wallis values of luxury, beautiful dresses and tailoring,' he said.