SuperGroup’s added operational power will hopefully make the glitches that have crept into the business a thing of the past.
Susanne Given, who joins from John Lewis but is perhaps best know as being the former managing director of TK Maxx, takes on the role of chief operating officer at the Superdry owner, a role which has been left vacant since Diane Savoury departed the retailer last May.
It is a position that is much needed by the trendy fashion house. Operations have long been a stumbling block for retailers growing at the pace that Supergroup has been, and £8.8m has already been wiped off its full year profits after distribution issues following its systems overhaul last year.
Given, who will oversee logistics, sourcing, IT, property and marketing for SuperGroup, has a stellar background with over 20 years experience working for retailers such as TK Maxx, House of Fraser and Harrods. Former Habitat chief operating officer Shaun Wills, who joins as the group’s new finance director, will also bring added operational expertise.
It is hoped the pair will not only banish the stock management issues which have hampered the group’s rapid expansion, but will also importantly free up chief executive Julian Dunkerton to concentrate on what he does best: product and brand building.
Dunkerton is very much a product man, and as Superdry seeks to become more experimental in that area – it is even branching into tailoring this year – he will need to get this spot on, especially if its brand is to thrive overseas.
It already has a growing presence in Europe and its acquisition of franchisee SuperGroup Europe BVBA last year is set to accelerate its expansion.
With power behind both product and operations, the retailer has every chance of becoming the global super brand its name suggests.
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