Virgin retail marketer leaves
Virgin Megastores brand and business development director Jenny Wilson has left the retailer following a restructure of its marketing department.
The former director of new brand development for Whitbread’s restaurant division is understood to have found a role outside the company.
Head of brand marketing and design Andy Kendrick will become head of marketing, reporting to commercial director Steve Kincaid.
Head of retail marketing Kerry Lee has been made Christmas projects manager. She will continue to report to Kincaid.
She says: “Christmas is crucial to the success of the business and we are therefore looking at how to manage it more effectively.”
The move follows similar appointments by other retailers such as Marks & Spencer, which has appointed Carol Stockhill to oversee the marketing of Christmas as an event.
The Virgin Megastores restructure comes after the departure of Virgin Retail managing director Andy Randall – who is now managing director at Staples – and the promotion of group supply director Dennis Henderson to group operations director.
Henderson aims to increase Virgin Megastores’ music range by 20 per cent and its DVD range by between 20 to 40 per cent, to reduce exposure to short-term dips in the chart or multi-buy markets. Virgin Megastore is to give concession space to sister company Virgin Mobile.
