Profile: Angela Spindler, N Brown's new chief executive, currently boss of The Original Factory Shop

Although currently working in the value sector, Spindler’s background is in fashion. In fact, she led one of the UK’s largest fashion businesses George at Asda which, when she left in 2008, was a £2bn company.

Like many future retail bosses, Spindler started her career on Mars’ graduate scheme where her contemporaries included Sainsbury’s boss Justin King and DFS chairman Richard Baker.

After stints at Coca Cola and Pedigree Masterfoods, Spindler joined Asda where she rose through the ranks, holding the roles of trading and marketing director and customer and trading director before taking the reins at George.

After three years heading the grocer’s clothing business, she moved to Debenhams, taking the role of managing director. Many observers believed she was being groomed as a successor for Debenhams chief executive Rob Templeman.

But after just a year she left and moved to private equity-backed The Original Factory Shop in 2009. Many said she moved because it became clear that Templeman was going to stay on for some time.

In her time at The Original Factory Shop, Spindler has helped push the company to impressive growth as it prepares for a future sale. She has invested in a new Epos system, improved its supply chain and helped to drive profits up and almost doubling store numbers at the 184-store general merchandise chain.

According to Retail Week Knowledge Bank, sales have more than doubled at The Original Factory Shop over the past five years, reaching £116.9m in 2009/10.

Despite a slight EBITDA profit fall in the year to March 27, 2012 to £13.3m from £14.9m, the retailer is forecasting it will be more than 30% up in profits this year.

Spindler’s strategy to sell top fashion brands at cut prices has boosted the retailer, after she drove the retailer’s fashion and footwear lines in 2010. 

In addition, over the past year she has led the retailer into the digital sphere, standing her in good stead with catalogue retailer N Brown. In 2011, she launch The Original Factory Shop’s first ever website, focusing on selling for larger goods such as furniture, not available in store, to pull in incremental customers. In January she introduced click-and-collect to tie up its stores and online businesses.

Spindler’s appointment was welcomed by the City. Seymour Pierce analyst Kate Calvert says: “We view her as a great appointment with a good reputation. N Brown has long been regarded as a well-run but conservatively managed company. However, growth has been relatively pedestrian over the last couple of years and we believe the business needs to be managed for more aggressive growth to justify a higher rating.”

Spindler, who remains an investor at The Original Factory Shop, will also give the home shopping group some valuable physical retail experience.

The etailer has been trialing stores for its Simply Be and Jacamo brands multichannel. If it decides to expand its store portfolio, Spindler’s experience in bricks and mortar could be invaluable if the outsize specialists is to make the most out of multichannel.