Richards scraps marketing team

Sears-owned Richards womenswear chain is scrapping its marketing department to concentrate on buying and retail operations.

Richards marketing and human resources director John Roberts, marketing manager Jenny Clements and marketing assistant Louise Ferdenzi are to leave the company at the end of this month and will not be replaced.

Last week, Richards made a further round of cuts at its head office, with 14 more staff axed following November’s 25 redundancies.

Sears was taken over by entrepreneur Philip Green’s January Investments, backed by the Barclay brothers, earlier this year.

Green is undertaking a strategic review of the business, which is thought likely to result in parts of the group being dropped. Freemans mail order, Wallis, Miss Selfridge and Warehouse and Adams are on the shortlist.

According to Dominic Galvin, managing director of Richards, the decision to axe marketing from Richards’ operations was a result of his own review, independent of any Sears-driven initiatives.

He says: “The business will focus on key things which will make a difference to the brand – buying and retail.”

Galvin says Richards’ management team – himself, retail director Tina Edwards and buying and merchandising director Tracey White – will make any marketing-led decisions within the next 12 months.