M&S names former Arcadia marketer as brand chief
Marks & Spencer has appointed former Arcadia marketing boss Alison Jones as its brand director for general merchandise.
Her appointment to the newly created role marks the final senior appointment in CEO Marc Bolland’s restructure of the marketing and brand teams.
She will report to M&S group marketing director Steve Sharp.
Jones joined Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia Group last year after leaving department store chain Debenhams in February 2010. At Arcadia she was responsible for integrating Arcadia concessions like Dorothy Perkins and Wallis into its BHS chain.
In November, Bolland revealed the retailer was on the hunt for a brand director for its food and general merchandise businesses and last month named Robert Weston, former John Lewis head of strategy, as brand director for food.
Jones and Weston will be tasked with carrying out Bolland’s strategic aims to clarify its sub-brands and clothing labels, make more of the M&S brand and boost its presence in the homewear market.
In its full year trading update last month, the first under Bolland, M&S reported a 13% increase in profit to £714.3m. Group revenue increased 4.2% to £9.7bn.during the period.
Bolland’s recent senior hires:
- Laura Wade-Gery, former Tesco.com CEO, as executive director of multi-channel e-commerce
- Chris Taylor, Morrisons business development director as director of Simply Food
- Jan Heere, from Zara and Bershka owner Inditex as director of international
- Damian Guha, former managing director of Mars’ Czech Republic and Slovakia business as director for its home business.
