Ex-Allied Carpets chief joins LMS

Former marketing director for Allied Carpets Katie Spriggs has been appointed marketing director of online business-to-consumer grocer Last Mile Solutions (LMS), with responsibility for marketing Waitrose’s home delivery.

She quit Allied Carpets following the resignation of chief executive Geoff Brady in November, which came after the carpet company was bought out by French group Tapis Saint-Maclou last September.

Spriggs will spearhead the development of a brand identity for both LMS and a national home-delivery service for Waitrose working with Interbrand Newell & Sorrell.

Waitrose owner John Lewis recently took a 40 per cent stake in LMS to develop a national online home-delivery service for the supermarket chain.

The service, which will launch next year and rival existing schemes such as Tesco Direct, has not yet been named.

Waitrose already offers an online office-delivery service, Waitrose@work.

Spriggs says: “This is a chance to build on an entirely new brand proposition for customers in partnership with Waitrose, one of the UK’s most respected grocery retailers.”

She is also looking at appointing creative and media agencies for LMS.

Prior to Allied Carpets, Spriggs was marketing manager for the launch of Kingfisher’s out-of-town Big W store format, which was designed to take on Wal-Mart by selling goods from Superdrug, Woolworths, B&Q and clothes from Peacocks.

LMS was founded in January by ex-Goldman Sachs bankers Jonathan Faiman, Jason Gissing and Tim Steiner.

Former M&S food chiefs Nigel Robertson and Roger Whiteside have joined the company as joint managing directors.

LMS has also appointed Andy McWilliams as head of customer services.Virtual