Retail Week Etail Powerlist: Ones to watch

Kate Bostock

Executive director, product and trading, Asos

Speculation about Kate Bostock’s role as Marks & Spencer’s fashion boss finally ceased when the retailer revealed in July that she would leave as part of a top-level shake-up.

Her departure in October was followed by the news that she would join the board of Asos.

The appointment didn’t come as a surprise, as speculation surrounding Bostock’s new role had first surfaced last November.

Bostock has spoken of her admiration for Asos, its unique mix of brands delivered online and on mobile, and its “huge” global potential.

She will join the etailer in January as executive director, product and trading, complementing the growing team of online retail heavyweights already at the company.

John Bovill

Commercial director, Jacques Vert

Before joining womenswear retailer Jacques Vert in August 2011, John Bovill had spent more than 12 years at Aurora Fashions. He rose to become group IT director and became a well-respected ecommerce veteran and pioneer in the process.

His appointment at Jacques Vert signalled the possibility that the group could be eyeing acquisitions, but since then it has undergone eventful times of a different kind. It was bought by private equity firm Sun European Partners and then merged at the beginning of 2012 with Irisa, the former Alexon business.

Integration has been the priority since then, and the evolution of multichannel – or “cross-channel” as Bovill prefers to call it – retail is also on the agenda. 

Warren Bennett and David Hathiramani

Co-founders, A Suit That Fits

Warren Bennett and David Hathiramani continue to impress as they drive A Suit That Fits with entrepreneurial vigour. The unique business model of ecommerce combined with face-to-face service through its ‘studios’ has made the seemingly impossible (online made-to-measure) possible – and profitable.

The duo founded the business in 2006, and it now has three stores in London and studios in more than 30 locations nationwide, reinventing the bricks-and-clicks relationship.

Developments this year include a partnership with John Lewis to offer a made-to-measure service in its Oxford Street department store.

Ryan Thomas

Multichannel director, Maplin

Former Comet marketer Ryan Thomas is charged with getting Maplin’s multichannel operation up to speed ahead of an eventual exit by its private equity backers.

The electricals specialist is investing £40m over the next three-and-a-half years to improve performance, including strengthening its ecommerce operation.

Part of Thomas’ task will be to break through the wall that exists between the bricks-and-mortar and online stores. He told Retail Week in May: “A lot of staff across retail see their own website as a competitor but it’s important to break down that barrier and engage them.”

Investment will go towards improving the Maplin website and the development of further ecommerce platforms such as social media and smartphone apps. Maplin is also one of the first retailers to join the new Tesco marketplace third-party sales site, complementing its Amazon and eBay stores.

Chris Watson

Managing director, Chain Reaction Cycles

It is difficult to keep up with the string of etail and entrepreneurial awards that Chain Reaction Cycles has been adding to its trophy cabinet over the past year.

Having sold his first bicycle at 14, Chris Watson has long-standing credentials as head of the family firm.

The Northern Ireland-based bikes etailer started out as a bricks-and-mortar business. It steadily grew, before entering the world of ecommerce in 1999. Since then, it has drawn on its distinct family ethos to become the largest online bike store in the world. Coming full circle, it opened a 10,000 sq ft standalone store in Belfast in August 2011, transferring its customer service and technical expertise to the high street.

Watson’s etail acumen has complemented his sector expertise nicely – a winning formula.

Brian McBride

Chairman, Asos

Asos cemented its etail credentials with the appointment of former Amazon UK managing director Brian McBride in October.

McBride was at Amazon for almost six years, during which time he launched the Kindle here, introduced food on the site and laid the foundations for its purchase of Lovefilm. He is also astute at gathering etail talent around him, having recruited Shaun McCabe, formerly of Homebase, as finance director and Wendy Mansell, from Gillette, as HR director while at Amazon.

The Scot brings international experience to Asos’ boardroom. After leaving Amazon in 2011 to battle illness, he joined venture capital firm Scottish Equity Partners a month later.

Chief executive Nick Robertson said McBride would help write “the next chapter of the Asos story”.

Tom Allason

Founder and chief executive, Shutl 

Founder of online delivery business Shutl Tom Allason is an entrepreneur who is making a good stab at “changing how we shop online by enabling shoppers to get what they want when they want it”, as he likes to put it.

Aggregating same-day delivery capacity through different courier companies to service retailers, Shutl promises delivery within 90 minutes. And since its firstdelivery in 2010, the company has been growing fast.

It has signed a significant and growing retail client list, which includes Argos, Maplin, Aurora Fashions and Karen Millen and is poised to launch in the US having secured a $2m investment. 

The multi-award-winning business certainly knows how to draw attention to its success, and Allason is a charismatic figurehead, who combines his previous experience – which includes founding online courier business eCourier – and media-nous to great effect.

Nadine Sharara

Head of ecommerce, Thomas Pink

Nadine Sharara started her career in retail at Ben Sherman in 2002 in a marketing role, and has risen to the upper echelons of etail in the decade since.

Before joining Thomas Pink in April 2011, Sharara was head of ecommerce at Space NK, where she put together a small but effective team. She was responsible for delivering growth for the Space NK UK and US and Eve Lom brands.

At Thomas Pink, she quickly made a name for herself overseeing strategy, management and developing of online growth globally as well as delivering a greater level of cross-channel integration. 

Having launched a redesigned transactional site just over a year ago, one key focus for Sharara has been to emulate the brand experience online.

She is continually adding online features to improve customer engagement – through online recommendations, for example, or the creative use of video.

Jon Wragg

Multichannel director, Asda

Digital channels are becoming increasingly important at Asda, making Jon Wragg’s position of multichannel director a lynchpin of current business strategy. 

The grocer’s fashion business George revealed earlier this year that it aims to generate 10% of sales online after bolstering its multichannel offer with a new website and transactional mobile apps.

An Android app now allows customers to use voice search for products as well as allowing  shoppers to add goods to their basket by scanning the barcode.

Developments did not stop there and in early summer Asda started piloting a click-and-collect grocery drive-through model at six stores, promising further experimentation with online-bricks integration.

With a new website dedicated to baby products also having launched, it’s been a busy and varied year for Wragg.

Steve Robinson

Customer director, B&Q

Steve Robinson, former M and M Direct boss, has been tasked with overseeing B&Q’s ecommerce offer. He joined the DIY retailer earlier this year on an interim basis, and became permanent in June.

As customer director, Robinson brings together the omnichannel team, customer insight, store formats, pricing and promotions. It is a big remit when the integration of different channels is the priority for forward-thinking retailers.

In charge of spearheading B&Q’s three-year strategy to improve its multichannel offer, Robinson was a key appointment, as the retailer develops an integrated digital platform, which will launch in 2013. Kick-started with a £35m investment in early 2011, the strategy will also equip the retailer for rapid expansion in m-commerce.

B&Q is putting multichannel centre stage, having initiated a review of its store portfolio to determine what size estate it needs in an “omnichannel world”.

Previously head of Tesco Direct, Robinson has worked in both large and small retailers. So although his task may be ambitious, his credentials make him well equipped to the job.

Dave Forsey

Chief executive, Sports Direct

Sports Direct was one of the few retailers to actually report a boost from the Olympics – gross profit rose 20.4% to £211.1m in the 13 weeks to July 29 and group sales were up 25.3% to £519m. And that positive pattern of trade continued in the weeks following thanks to Team GB’s success.

Sports Direct is now the UK’s number one sports retailer. It achieved a record year, driven by a bumper year online. Online sales rocketed 82%, according to the last full-year figures (April 2012), representing 11.6% of the group’s sports retail sales.

This growth has been managed by chief executive Dave Forsey who has overall responsibility for the group’s day-to-day management. Founder Mike Ashley mightwell have the greater public persona, but Forsey is well regarded by the City for the way he has handled the company’s growth, and his partnership with Ashley which has lasted more than 27 years – Forsey’s entire professional life.

Sir Terry Leahy

Investor, Former chief executive, Tesco

It seems perverse to identify Sir Terry Leahy as ‘one to watch’ on any list, such is his gargantuan standing in British retail, but following his ‘retirement’ the former Tesco boss has been content to become a back seat driver, albeit an immensely knowledgeable and influential one. Like former Asda rival Andy Bond, Leahy has taken a keen interest in the etail scene since leaving Tesco. He is an investor in video-based teaching tool Stuckonhomework.com and is a shareholder in online retail group The Hut alongside others including former Marks & Spencer chairman Sir Stuart Rose.

With a wealth of experience gathered over the course of 32 years at Tesco, it will be fascinating to see how Leahy develops his interest in entrepreneurial businesses and, more importantly, where he directs his future investments. What is certain is that there will be no shortage of firms queuing up to have such a heavy hitter batting for their side.

Sean McKee

Head of ecommerce and customer services, Schuh

Online footwear retailer Schuh continues to innovate in etail, without much fanfare, but to great effect. And one of the driving forces behind the innovation is Sean McKee, whose title overtly combines its key priorities of ecommerce development and a seamless and satisfying customer experience.

Clearly the customer experience focus was instilled in McKee during his decade-long stint in regional and divisional managerial roles. Stepping from the shopfloor to assume the ecommerce mantle gives him a favourable vantage point from which to tackle the unique challenges of the new multichannel retail world. 

This year, Schuh launched its first international website in France. Its instant messaging customer service, which allows staff to advise online customers on products has also proved a hit. When live chat is on offer, a website visitor is four times more likely to convert than one without it, the company found. It is this insight into consumer preferences and behaviour that will continue to contribute to Schuh’s success.

Richard Longhurst and Neal Slateford

Co-founders, Lovehoney 

Those of a delicate disposition may want to look away now. Richard Longhurst (left) and Neal Slateford are loud and proud of their online business Lovehoney – a n etailer that claims to be the UK’s favourite online store for sex toys, lingerie and sexy gifts.

It’s certainly been an astonishing year for the business that Longhurst once described as “one of the most successful online retailers people had never heard of”. All that has changed since a Channel 4 documentary, More Sex Please, We’re British, featured Lovehoney in May. The behind-the-scenes look at the business was watched by 1.2 million viewers and the rise in traffic to the website after was so great that it collapsed for 20 minutes under the pressure. The UK’s appetite for sex was further stoked by the runaway success of the book publishing phenomenon Fifty Shades of Grey – prompting a 400% rise in sales at the company over the summer. There aren’t many directors who will tell you that the favourite part of their job is being thanked for saving customers’ sex lives but that is what puts a smile on Slateford’s face.

Mark Lewis

Chief executive, Collect+

With a network now taking in more than 4,700 corner shops or petrol stations across large areas of the UK, Collect+ has been busy stepping up expansion of its unique – and much appreciated – business model.

Having previously been UK managing director and European director of marketplaces at eBay, Mark Lewis is drawing on his extensive knowledge of online retailing to drive commercial growth for Collect+.

And the business’s reputation continues to grow. The slew of high-profile retail client signings over the past year bears testament to Collect+’s success – it has clearly identified demand among retailers to offer increasingly flexible delivery options to customers, and developed the right business model to meet it.

Over the past year, Collect+ added etailers including Asos to its roster of clients, as well as providing a pick up and collect service to Meadowhall in Sheffield – the first shopping centre to sign up.

In August, Amazon.co.uk said it would use the company to deliver to local shops – a big league endorsement if ever there was one. The aim of UK-wide ubiquity looks as if it is on the cards for Lewis’ Collect+.