Adria appoints brand chief to take charge of Charnos range expansion

Hosiery company Adria has appointed Nigel Nelms to the newly created role of head of brands. Nelms, a former Johnson & Johnson marketing director, joins from personal-care products and fashion supplier Peter Black.

Nelms will handle all consumer marketing and sales for Charnos hosiery and premium shoe brand Rombah Wallace. He will be responsible for increasing awareness of the Charnos brand and moving it into new areas. He will report to commercial director David Hutchinson, who will now deal with sales on the private-label side of the business.

Nelms’ appointment comes just over a year after the brand was acquired by private equity firm Amicus Partners, as part of a management buy-out. Adria is still 21 per cent-owned by its management. The sale of the business was part of a larger sale of the Charnos group, which also included knitwear and lingerie divisions.

The move to strengthen the marketing team signals the start of a long-term investment in the development of the Charnos brand. The management team is keen to capitalise on the brand’s heritage and to provide more solid competition for rivals Pretty Polly and Aristoc.