Homeware chain hires marketing chief following restructure

Cargo HomeShop has appointed Julia Greenhough to the role of head of marketing as part of a wider restructuring of its management team.

Greenhough replaces Colin Woods, who left the company in July this year to oversee marketing at Bridgemere Gardening Centre in Cheshire.

Greenhough, who was previously senior brand manager at Bhs, has also held marketing roles at Our Price, Virgin and Safeway. Her main responsibilities at Cargo HomeShop will include driving sales through increased “customer focus and improving the in-store experience”, in addition to strategic brand management.

The homewares chain has also appointed Bob Thomson and James Chong as operations director and finance director respectively. Thomson was most recently md for the retail division of the Al Futtain Trading Private in Dubai, where he worked with a range of retail brands including Ikea and the Ace Hardware Home Chain. Chong joins Cargo HomeShop from Malaysia based management consultancy E-Nnovative.

The restructuring comes less than 18 months after the 38-strong chain went into administration, forcing it to close 21 stores. In January this year the retailer negotiated a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) with its creditors to allow it to continue trading.

Cargo HomeShop chief executive Jeffrey Gould says: “The introduction of senior management with relevant experience and fresh ideas, combined with full support from our shareholders, enables us to drive the brand forward with renewed energy.”