71
Fashion Jobs
L'OREAL GROUP
Multi-Brand Education Manager
Permanent · JOHANNESBURG
L'OREAL GROUP
E-Commerce Manager
Permanent · JOHANNESBURG
BEIERSDORF
Brand Manager
Permanent · DURBAN
G-STAR
Key Account Manager
Permanent · CAPE TOWN
ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES
Marketing & Sales Operations Manager (Sub Saharan Africa)
Permanent · JOHANNESBURG
ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES
Marketing & Sales Operations Manager (Sub Saharan Africa)
Permanent · JOHANNESBURG
PUMA
Payroll Administrator
Permanent · CAPE TOWN
ADIDAS
Senior Manager Sales: Shoe Channel - em South
Permanent · CAPE TOWN
ADIDAS
Senior HR Business Partner (6-Months Maternity Cover)
Permanent · CAPE TOWN
L'OREAL GROUP
Product Manager
Permanent · JOHANNESBURG
TREK
Country Manager
Permanent · SANDTON
L'OREAL GROUP
E-Commerce Key Account Manager
Permanent · JOHANNESBURG
ADIDAS
ic pp Data & Analytics Specialist - em
Permanent · CAPE TOWN
BEIERSDORF
Precision Marketing & Audience Specialist
Permanent · DURBAN
CLINIQUE
Clinique - Roamer - Edgars Eastgate, Gauteng - 40 Hours - Full-Time - Permanent
Permanent · JOHANNESBURG
PANDORA
Sales Assistant Ppt 96 Hours Balito
Permanent · DURBAN
L'OREAL GROUP
Data Analyst
Permanent · JOHANNESBURG
HTNK
High-End Fashion/Denim Designer
Permanent · JOHANNESBURG
H&M
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Permanent · CAPE TOWN
ADIDAS
Specialist Franchise Excellence - Ems Africa Export
Permanent · CAPE TOWN
LOVISA
Full Time Team Member | v&a Waterfront, Cape Town
Permanent · CAPE TOWN
LOVISA
Store Manager | v&a Waterfront, Cape Town
Permanent · CAPE TOWN
Published
Jul 5, 2022
Reading time
2 minutes
Download
Download the article
Print
Text size

Change at the top of Very Group, Lionel Desclée to become CEO

Published
Jul 5, 2022

The Very Group is losing its CEO of four-and-a-half years, Henry Birch, but it’s gaining a big name with an impressive international background.


Lionel Desclée



Birch is preparing to step down in a few months’ time and is being replaced by the former CEO of Walmart Japan, Lionel Desclée.

He’ll join the British online retail giant — which owns the Very and Littlewoods e-tail brands — on 19 September, five days before Birch leaves. The company didn’t say what Birch’s next move will be.

Desclée joins from McKinsey & Company, where he’s a senior advisor. He was — as mentioned — previously president and CEO of Walmart in Japan for three years, where he led a 35,000-strong team at Seiyu, the Japanese supermarket business with a significant food and non-food presence. 

Very said that “under Lionel’s stewardship, Seiyu accelerated its move into digital through a  joint venture with online retailer Rakuten, secured record-breaking colleague engagement, grew customer satisfaction and increased market share. He led Walmart’s subsequent partial exit from Seiyu to investor KKR and Rakuten”.

Before that, he was president and CEO of pet care specialist Tom & Co, which operates over 160 stores in Belgium, Luxembourg and France. Having led a management buyout, he increased its digital offering, “enhanced profitability and launched new store concepts”.

And he’s also held a number of senior roles at global retail business Delhaize Group, while he’s currently a non-executive board member at both Tom & Co and BPost, the Belgian company responsible for the delivery of national and international mail.

Clearly, the company has attracted a big hitter to the post and that's not surprising given the size of the overall business today.  

Under Birch’s leadership, The Very Group broke the £2bn-sales mark for the first time in 2020 and, in 2021, delivered record revenue and EBITDA.

Birch joined in 2018 and “helped to transform the group, including implementing a rebrand, launching its highly automated fulfilment centre in the East Midlands, making its AI-powered chatbot the most popular customer service channel, and successfully navigating the pandemic”.

Copyright © 2024 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.