Profile: Diana Hunter, chief executive, Bargain Booze

The differing brand values of the two companies raised eyebrows in the industry however closer inspection of her career would reveal that Hunter is someone who relishes a challenge.

Hunter has been with the upmarket grocer for eight years, most recently as business unit director for convenience, and will join the franchise off-license chain in February in her most senior role to date.

The highly-regarded Hunter grew up in the North East and gained an early enthusiasm for retail from an early age walking the halls of her grandfather’s department store in Darlington.

After forging an early career at a shoe retailer in Middlesbrough, Hunter joined Sainsbury’s graduate programme in 1990.

Hunter spent 13 years with the grocer as it fought the rise of Tesco under Lord MacLaurin and Sir Terry Leahy. She held a multitude of roles including heading up a senior manager transformation programme before eventually departing from the role of head of format development.

Hunter has continued to switch positions with regularity while at Waitrose, heading up merchandising for three years, store development for a further three before what will be just over a year in charge of convenience. “She has gained a wealth of knowledge and skills through regularly changing roles. It means you can get a really good helicopter view of a business” a source close to Hunter said.

While at Waitrose, Hunter has carved a reputation as an innovator in store development. Under her stewardship, the grocer has remodelled its supermarket format, launched the Little Waitrose convenience brand, tied up with Shell for service station stores and launched its home offer in its Canary Wharf store. She also developed John Lewis’ food hall.

With these projects motoring forward, Hunter is set to take a new challenge in the newly-created position of chief executive of the 670-store Bargain Booze chain. Keith Webb has been acting managing director at the retailer since Tim Stanley stepped down in July and will take up the position of deputy chief executive. Stanley remains involved in the business.

Bargain Booze chairman Roger Pedder said: “Diana has an excellent record of developing high quality retail formats and bringing innovation to the high street. Her skills and experience will further enhance the ability of our management team to drive the business to the next level and offer best-in-class store formats to our franchisees.”

Hunter’s appointment is a bold flag in the ground for Bargain Booze with convenience retailing a strong growth market. Private equity owners ECI are understood to be pleased with the retailer’s performance despite the fact last month it posted a decline in pre-tax profits in spite of an increase in full-year sales last year.

The discount off licence chain recorded a 3.9% increase in full-year sales to £395.3m while pre-tax profits slipped 7.7% to £11.5m in the year to April 30.

Pedder said the retailer is investing in its “consumer research, marketing and merchandising to ensure that Bargain Booze and all of our retail formats have strong customer appeal” and stores guru Hunter will be keen to step into the role and assess her options.

A bold move then, but not one without significant opportunity and responsibility.