After a five-year tenure as N Brown chairman, Andy Higginson intends to step down from his role at the fashion group.

N Brown chairman Andy Higginson to exit fashion group

n brown

N Brown

Higginson, who is also chairman at Morrisons, said he wishes to free up time to pursue opportunities in private equity.

N Brown – owner of the JD Williams and Simply Be brands – has commenced the process to appoint a replacement. Higginson will remain in his position as chairman during the search and through a handover period.

In a statement, N Brown chief executive Angela Spindler said: “Andy has led the group during a period of significant transformation and his dedication and insight have made a significant contribution to this process.”

Higginson added: “It has been a privilege to chair the company through a period of transformation to a digital business. Angela has established a strong and capable team, the benefits of which are now visible.”

Earlier this year, N Brown suffered a fall in full-year profits amid increased investment in its infrastructure and one-off charges.

The group’s statutory pre-tax profit tumbled 20.2% to £57.6m in the 53 weeks to March 4.