Littlewoods Stores loses another marketing chief

Littlewoods Stores has lost its marketing director Steve Buck, who left last week after a shake-up of the chain’s management board.

The chain has put in place the new board structure after announcing that the planned sale of its 135 stores had been called off. This is thought to be because a buyer prepared to pay the 500m asking price could not be found. Instead, the company will test changing the names of the stores to Berkertex, its own-label clothing brand. The company is poised to sell off a batch of about 20 of its largest stores to another retailer for an estimated 120m.

Buck left along with human resources director Deeanne Lee. The marketing director’s job will be filled by Greg Ball, who was previously in marketing, but has recently been working in the buying department. He will report to the Littlewoods Stores board managing director Mike Wynne.

Buck took up the marketing director’s job last August to replace Findlay Caldwell, who left earlier that year. He was previously a director at Clarks and worked in marketing for Adidas and Johnson & Johnson.