Appointment of Managing Director - Brands

RNS Number : 4918A

Walker Greenbank PLC

08 June 2016

 

For Immediate Release

8 June 2016

WALKER GREENBANK PLC

("Walker Greenbank" or "the Company")

Appointment of Managing Director - Brands

Walker Greenbank PLC (AIM: WGB), the luxury interior furnishings group whose brands include Sanderson, Morris & Co., Harlequin, Zoffany, Scion and Anthology, is pleased to announce that Fiona Holmes, who has more than 30 years' business, brand and retail experience, will join the Company's Board as an Executive Director.

For the past seven years, Fiona has worked at the FTSE-250 retailer N Brown Group plc, most recently as the managing director of figleaves.com.

Fiona will join the Company in Autumn 2016 as Managing Director for Brands, taking on the role from David Smallridge, who will retire from Walker Greenbank in January 2017. David will remain on the Board during the handover period.

Much of Fiona's experience was gained at Marks & Spencer Group plc, where she worked from 1984 to 2006 in a broad range of roles including Director of Children's Wear and General Merchandise Procurement and as Executive Assistant to the CEO. After more than 20 years at Marks & Spencer, Fiona joined Charles Tyrwhitt as Buying, Merchandising, Marketing and Retail Director before joining

N Brown Group plc, in 2009.

Fiona is also currently a non-executive director at Bagir Group Ltd.

John Sach, Walker Greenbank's Chief Executive, commented: "I'm delighted to announce the appointment of Fiona Holmes as Managing Director for Brands, succeeding David Smallridge who retires from Walker Greenbank next year. Fiona brings a wealth of brand and multi-channel retail experience, gained in a broad variety of roles at major and smaller businesses. I look forward to her input in driving the strategic direction and growth of our brands."

The following information is disclosed pursuant to Schedule Two paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies. Fiona Mary Holmes, age 53 years, has been a director of the following companies during the five years preceding the date of this announcement:

Current directorships	Past directorships
Smart Works Charity	Gray & Osbourn Limited
Downe House School
Bagir Group Limited (resignation effective 30 November 2016)

There is no further information to be disclosed pursuant to Rule 17 or Schedule Two paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies.

For further information:

Walker Greenbank PLC	[phone]
John Sach, Chief Executive Mike Gant, Chief Financial Officer
Caroline Geary, Company Secretary
Investec Bank plc	[phone]
Garry Levin / David Anderson - Nominated Adviser
Henry Reast - Corporate Broking
Buchanan	[phone]
Mark Court / Sophie Cowles / Catriona Flint

Notes for editors:

About Walker Greenbank

Walker Greenbank PLC is a luxury interior furnishings company that designs, manufactures and markets wallpapers and fabrics together with a wide range of ancillary interior products. The Company's brand portfolio - comprising Sanderson, Morris & Co, Harlequin, Zoffany, Scion and Anthology - spans heritage and contemporary design and its products are sold in more than 85 countries worldwide. The Company derives significant licensing income from the use of its designs in lifestyle products such as bed linen, rugs and tableware.

The Company employs more than 600 people and has showrooms in London, New York, Paris, Amsterdam and Dubai along with partnership showrooms in Moscow and in Shenzhen, China. Its UK manufacturing base, which includes a wallpaper factory in Loughborough and a fabric printing factory in Lancaster, manufactures product both for the Group and for other wallpaper and fabric brands. Continued investment in manufacturing has allowed the Group to offer a wide range of printing techniques.

Walker Greenbank trades on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol WGB.

For further information please visit: www.walkergreenbank.com/

 

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