Morrisons hires first non-food commercial director
Morrisons has signalled a major expansion of its clothing offering with the appointment of its first non-food commercial director.
Former Peacocks managing director Tim Bettley, who starts next month, is to join the Morrisons board with an initial brief to expand the Peacocks kids range into more stores.
The move follows the purchase of the high-street clothing brand out of administration by Edinburgh Woollen Mill last month.
Morrisons has expanded Peacocks stand alone concessions to three stores since launching in its Bradford store last year. Peacocks’ children’s range, which includes school uniform stocks, are sold within smaller in-store concessions.
A spokesman says the kids concessions would be opened in stores that had the right layout and family demographic. The move follows the 4th largest UK supermarket’s ongoing effort to clear space by streamlining its food product ranges.
The supermarket, whose market share ended its hitherto relentless rise with a dip in the 12 weeks to 19 Feb by 0.1% to 12.2%, is also set to unveil significant online expansion plans when it delivers its interim results later this week.
The retailer has previously resisted a move into online, but claims it has now found a way to deliver to internet customers without compromising on it’s ‘fresh guarantee’.
It is also expected to announce details of an online clothing move, following the move of several directors into its recently acquired Kiddicare business.
