- Huw Hughes
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Marks and Spencer has announced that its managing director of clothing
and home, Jill McDonald, is exiting the retail giant after nearly two years
in the role.
CEO Steve Rowe, who previously held McDonald’s position at the company,
will be taking over from her in the near term.
McDonald was originally appointed to the position in May 2017 as the
company began its turnaround plan. At the time, Rowe described her as
“exactly the right person to lead this all-important part of our business
from recovery in to growth.”
In the year to March 30, 2019, the company reported a 9.9 percent
decline in profit before tax & adjusting items to 523.2 million pounds (663
million dollars), driven by headwinds on sales, partly offset by its
operating costs transformation programme. Its UK clothing & home revenue
was down 3.6 percent.
Commenting on McDonald’s departure in a statement, Rowe said: “Jill was
brought in to establish a strong platform for the transformation of the
clothing and home business. She has achieved that; she leaves with my
thanks and good wishes for the future. She has recruited a talented team,
improved the quality and style of product and set a clear direction for the
business to attract a younger family age customer.”
Rowe continued: “The business now needs to move on at pace to address
long-standing issues in our clothing and home supply chain around
availability and flow of product. Given the importance of this task to M&S
I will be overseeing this programme directly.”
Photo: Jill McDonald, courtesy of Marks & Spencer
