Matalan appoints Ben Smith as new Chief Trading Officer

Matalan appoints Ben Smith as Chief Trading Officer, effective immediately. The position was created as part of the company’s ongoing transformation program.

Smith will report directly to chief executive Jo Whitfield, according to Retail Week, which reported on the news. “Ben’s extensive and proven track record in retail and senior commercial roles will stand the test of Matalan as we enter our next phase of growth with confidence,” the CEO told the magazine. “This new leadership position will allow us to focus on strengthening our commercial proposition and delivering the great quality and value that our customers trust us at Matalan to deliver.”

Smith first joined Matalan in March as interim purchasing and merchandising director, having previously served as commercial director at Pep&Co. Prior to that he held a variety of similar roles at Primark, including Commercial Director, Womenswear.

Concurrent with Smith’s appointment, Matalan announced that David Mellett and Toni Craig will be stepping down from their roles as Director of Sourcing and Imports and Chief Purchasing Officer, respectively.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank David and Toni for their continued dedication and important role in supporting the company, our suppliers and our customers,” said Whitfield. “They have cemented key relationships and championed Matalan’s value- and family-centric vision, and we wish them well in the future.”

This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.com

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