Mamas & Papas, the leading nursery brand, has appointed Richard Campbell as chief marketing officer. In his new role, Richard will report to Jonathon Fitzgerald, co-chief executive, and will be responsible for all aspects of Mamas & Papas marketing, including brand, advertising, e-commerce, store design and communications.
Richard joins from Rank Group, where he was customer director for Mecca’s retail and digital operations. Earlier in his career, Richard co-founded two major loyalty card programmes, Nectar and NatWest’s CashbackPlus. He also played an integral role in the revival of Debenhams, where he created award-winning advertising and sales promotions.
Commenting on Richard’s appointment, Derek Lovelock, executive chairman, said: “Richard is a highly experienced retailer and marketeer, and his appointment further strengthens our management team. He joins us just as the turnaround at Mamas & Papas is really gathering pace and he will play a key role in delivering our exciting and ambitious growth plans.”
Richard Campbell added: “Mamas & Papas is an iconic and much-loved brand. I’m really looking forward to working with the team to broaden and deepen our relationship with customers and develop new and imaginative ways of engaging with them.”
News of Richard’s appointment follows a record Christmas for Mamas & Papas when like-for-like sales grew by 18 per cent in the six weeks to 3 January 2016. The business also returned to profitability in the second half of last year after a successful restructuring. Mamas & Papas was acquired by BlueGem Capital Partners in July 2014 and operates in 59 countries, has 34 stores in the UK and employs 1245 people.
As part of the restructure, a new four-year loan facility was also secured with HSBC to support Mamas & Papas’ investment plans. These include the opening of a flagship store in the Westfield shopping centre in White City, London, and the launch of a new e-commerce platform in 2016.
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