Mothercare’s new man is a sign of the times

The game of musical chairs in the boardroom showed no signs of slowing down as another top role went to a surprise candidate.

This time it was Simon Calver, boss of Amazon-owned film specialist Lovefilm, who took centre-stage when he was named chief executive of embattled maternity specialist Mothercare.

As with John Walden, just hired to run Argos, Calver looks at first like a leftfield choice. But a perusal of his CV throws up highly relevant experience and hints at the direction Mothercare is likely to take.

Mothercare, traditionally one of the strongest and most trusted brands, is losing out in retail’s beautiful baby contest as rivals such as Kiddicare up the ante. It’s not just complaints about Mothercare’s store experience and offer. The retailer’s online business has been slowing down. Calver should bring experience to benefit both, backed by Mike Logue, the UK boss who has store experience.

Along with ecommerce expertise that should inform and improve Mothercare’s multichannel offer, he brings FMCG insight from businesses including PepsiCo that should bolster its brand in the core UK market.

That branded goods background is also likely to enable the continued development of Mothercare’s international business.

His appointment is an indicator, as was Walden’s, that retail is increasingly looking beyond its traditional hunting grounds for leaders.

Experience in multichannel, something that has only emerged in the last few years, looks increasingly like a must-have attribute on headhunters’ checklists.

Amazon gets physical

British retailers have traditionally looked across the Atlantic for inspiration and store tours of cities such as Chicago and New York are invariably on the agenda.

But perhaps it is time for Seattle to be the destination. The city is home to Amazon and frequently the test bed for innovation including now, reportedly, a physical shop.

Amazon has changed the game in pure-play retail and a shop would no doubt change the game in multichannel. But multichannel is one field in which the UK excels. There’s no room for complacency, but the pace of innovation here puts established retailers in a good position to defend their turf if Amazon opts for some UK shops.