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Marks and Spencer has appointed the former head of Boohoo to run its clothing, home and beauty divisions as the retailer presses ahead with its turnaround.
John Lyttle, who ran the online fast-fashion group for five years and previously worked at value-chain Primark, will replace Richard Price, who is due to leave in April to pursue a portfolio career, which typically leads to several part-time roles, the company said.
Price, who has run the division for half a decade, was instrumental in reviving M&S’s clothing sales as part of a wider revival at the group under chief executive Stuart Machin.
M&S shares have jumped 95 per cent over the past five years partly because of a sustained improvement in food and clothing and home sales that has helped boost its profits. Last year, the company said it was seeing “the beginnings of a new M&S” after two decades of false dawns under previous management teams.
Machin said Price “leaves the business as a long-standing friend” of the retailer, having placed the clothing and home division “on a much stronger footing with improved product” and helped shake off its frumpy image.
The arrival of Lyttle, who spent nine years at Primark as chief operating officer, is expected to accelerate the improvement in performance. Machin said M&S would benefit from Lyttle’s experience of increasing sales and overhauling supply chains, as well as his “down-to-earth leadership style”.
Lyttle presided over a period of high growth at Boohoo during the Covid-19 pandemic and also led the company through various challenging periods, including a scandal sparked by allegations of poor working conditions at a clothing factory in Leicester.
More recently, the company has had to contend with falling sales and profits as shoppers return to physical stores in greater numbers than expected.
Boohoo has been embroiled in a dispute with sportswear tycoon Mike Ashley, fending off an attempted coup and a demand for a board seat through his retail empire Frasers, which is a large Boohoo shareholder. Ashley accused Boohoo of mismanagement after the share price sank.
Separately, other appointments included Maddy Evans, currently in charge of womenswear, who will take on a broader role including lingerie.
