House of Fraser, the UK and Ireland's premium department store group, has appointed Maria Hollins as the new executive director, buying & design, effective May 9, 2016.
The new role will oversee all of the buying & design functions across the business and will bring a more consistent and defined approach to best practice in buying, design, and sourcing. Maria will also work closely with Brand Partners to drive growth across all categories. This new role will allow a more strategic view of space management across House of Fraser's estate. Maria will report directly into Nigel Oddy, CEO, according to a press release.House of Fraser, the UK and Ireland's premium department store group, has appointed Maria Hollins as the new executive director, buying & design#
Maria has over 25 years of experience in retail and has significant expertise across fashion, multichannel, and international markets. Maria has worked across a variety of different sectors in the industry for companies including Arcadia Group, Whistles and, most recently, ASOS.com as global product & trading director. Maria joined ASOS.com in November 2011, prior to which she spent 18 years with Arcadia Group working across a number of the Group's brands including Dorothy Perkins and Topman.
Maria Hollins said, “House of Fraser has long been an integral part of the British retail landscape and I am delighted to be joining it at this exciting time. I have been impressed by the huge ambitions for the business and am looking forward to working with the team to deliver the customer the best shopping experience, in the UK and internationally.”
Nigel Oddy said, “We are delighted to welcome Maria to House of Fraser. This newly created role will bring together for the first time buying and design functions across the business, allowing a more unified and strategic approach to key trading areas of our business. Maria's expertise and guidance will be invaluable to us as we continue to work to enhance our leading multichannel proposition and to grow our business. We look forward to welcoming her to the team in May.”
Frank Slevin, House of Fraser executive chairman said, “Our ability to attract an individual of Maria's calibre is a real testament to the strength of our business and our ambitions for growth both in the UK and internationally. As part of our senior management team, the experience she brings will be hugely valuable to our ongoing development.” (GK)
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
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