European boss leaves after Pepe relocation

Pepe Jeans marketing chief for northern Europe, Neil Stevens, has left the company following the jeans manufacturer’s decision to relocate the bulk of its business from Amsterdam to Madrid, where the company’s owner Carlos Ortega is based.

Stevens, based in Amsterdam, has decided not to move to Madrid. He held the title of director of communications and was responsible for marketing in northern Europe. It is not known whether he has a job to go to.

Pepe will not be replacing Stevens directly and his responsibilities will be divided between the UK and Madrid offices. UK sales and marketing director Terry Pearman, appointed last year (MW December 19, 2002), will oversee the brand’s UK activity. The rest of northern Europe will be controlled from Madrid.

The reorganisation of the two offices forms part of Pepe’s strategy to improve customer focus in the UK.

Pepe is planning to launch a consumer press and poster campaign in April. Pepe also opened a branded outlet in Covent Garden last December, two years after it closed its flagship store in the area.

The move marks a return to the structure of the company before a major rejig during 2000, when control of its creative and strategic marketing was centralised and moved to Amsterdam.

Last month, Pepe appointed Zenith Optimedia to its pan-European media account. The agency’s Spanish and London offices will work on the account.