Board Appointment

RNS Number : 5482M

Dunelm Group plc

17 July 2014

 



17 July 2014

Dunelm Group plc ("Dunelm")

Board Appointment and planned changes to Non-Executive Director Responsibilities

Board appointment

Dunelm, the leading out-of-town specialist homewares retailer, is pleased to announce the appointment of Andy Harrison as a Non-Executive Director, with effect from 1 September 2014.  Andy will be a member of the Audit and Risk, Remuneration and Nominations Committees. 

Andy has been Chief Executive of Whitbread PLC since 2010, prior to which he was Chief Executive of easyJet plc from 2005. He became Chief Executive of Lex Service in 1996 which subsequently became RAC plc, and was acquired by Aviva in 2005. He held a non-executive directorship at EMAP PLC from 2000 to 2008, where he also chaired the Audit Committee.

Other than the above, no disclosures are required under LR 9.6.14 with respect to his appointment.

Planned Changes to Non-Executive Director Responsibilities

Dunelm also announces the following changes to the committee responsibilities of the current Non-Executive Directors, which take effect from 12 September 2014:

	Current	From 12 September 2014
Senior Independent Director	Marion Sears	Simon Emeny
Audit and Risk Committee Chair	Matt Davies	Liz Doherty
Remuneration Committee Chair	Marion Sears	Matt Davies
Nominations Committee Chair	Marion Sears	Marion Sears

The appointment of Andy Harrison and these changes in NED responsibilities are part of the Board's succession plan.

Chairman of Dunelm, Geoff Cooper, said:

"I am very pleased to welcome Andy to the Dunelm Board. His track record of achievement in consumer-facing businesses will be a huge asset to us. In particular his perspective and understanding of consumer behaviour and the challenges of leading high quality, world class organisations will add considerably to development of strategy".

Andy Harrison said:

"Dunelm is a market leading retailer in an exciting phase of growth, so I am delighted to be joining the business at this time. The Company has a talented and experienced Board, and I look forward to working with them in continuing the success of the Dunelm proposition."

- Ends -

For further information please contact:

Dunelm Group plc	0116 264 4356
Nick Wharton, Chief Executive
MHP
	20 3128 8100
Simon Hockridge / Naomi Lane

Note to Editors:

1.     In searching for an additional Non-Executive Director, the Nominations Committee followed a number of criteria, consistent with Dunelm's strategy and likely development. In line with emerging best practice, the Company's annual report to shareholders for 2013/14 will include a full analysis of the criteria used and the basis upon which the selection of Andy Harrison was made.

2.     Dunelm was founded in 1979 as a market stall business, selling ready-made curtains. The first shop was opened in Leicester in 1984 and over the following years the business developed into a successful chain of high street shops before expanding into broader homewares categories following the opening of the first Dunelm superstore in 1991.

Since then, Dunelm has grown to become market leader in the £11bn UK homewares market. The Group currently operates 143 stores, of which 136 are out-of-town superstores and 7 are located on high streets, and an on-line store, to be found at www.dunelm.com.

Dunelm's customer proposition offers industry-leading choice of quality products at keen prices, with high levels of availability and supported by expert, friendly service. Core ranges include many exclusive designs and premium brands such as Dorma, and are supported by a frequently changing series of special buys. The superstore format provides an average of 30,000 sq ft of selling space with over 20,000 products across a broad spectrum of categories, extending from the Group's home textiles heritage (bedding, curtains, cushions, quilts and pillows) to a complete homewares offer including kitchenware and dining, lighting, wall art, furniture and rugs. Dunelm is one of the few national retailers to offer a made to measure curtain service, including in-home consultation and using its own UK manufacturing facility, together with an authoritative selection of curtain fabrics on the roll in stores. The value, breadth of choice and expertise inherent in the proposition are communicated to customers via the strapline "There's no place like Dunelm".

Dunelm has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since October 2006 (DNLM.L) and has a current market capitalisation of approximately £1.7bn.

 

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