FD Harding to depart Shop Direct

Group finance director, Derek Harding, is to leave Shop Direct early next year.

Having joined the executive board of the pureplay retailer and credit provider in July 2017, Harding oversees the commercial, facilities management and external communications teams alongside his finance responsibilities. He also held the role of CEO for four months on an interim basis prior to the arrival of Henry Birch in May 2018.

Harding will depart at the end of February 2019 to explore new opportunities closer to his family home in Henley. Shop Direct’s former group financial controller, Dominic Appleton, has been working alongside Harding since the beginning of 2018 and has stepped into the role of interim group finance director until a permanent appointment is confirmed.

Group CEO at Shop Direct, Henry Birch, said: “During his time with Shop Direct, Derek has driven robust financial controls, built a strong finance team and steered us through the development of our new strategy. He has achieved a huge amount during his time here and we’ll miss him. We wish Derek and his family all the best for the future.”

Dominic Appleton was group financial controller at Shop Direct from 2009 until 2014. Since then, he has held CFO roles at online bathroom retailer, VictoriaPlum.com, and the UK’s biggest shoemaker, Hotter Shoes.

Birch continued: “Dominic Appleton knows our business inside out and I’m delighted that he’s agreed to steer our finance team on an interim basis as we enter the next phase of our growth.”

ENDS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Media enquiries

Brunswick                             

Eilis Murphy                             0207 404 5959

Shop Direct                           

Dave Lafferty                           0844 292 2738

 Bondholder enquiries

Shop Direct                           

David Fletcher                         david.fletcher@shopdirect.com

ABOUT SHOP DIRECT

As the UK’s largest integrated pureplay digital retailer and financial services provider, Shop Direct has annual sales of £1.96 billion. Our brands are Very.co.uk, Littlewoods.com, VeryExclusive.co.uk and LittlewoodsIreland.ie. We receive an average of more than 1.4 million website visits every day, with 74% of online sales completed on mobile devices.

We exist to make good things easily accessible to more people. With our multi-category range of famous brands, technology and data capabilities and unique financial services products offering flexible ways to pay, we’re well placed to deliver on that promise.

We sell more than 1,800 famous brands, including big name labels and our own exclusive brands. We have four million customers and deliver 49 million products every year. Our free click-and-collect service, CollectPlus, delivers to 7,000 stores across the country, increasing ease and convenience for customers.

For more information on Shop Direct, visit www.shopdirect.com or follow us on Twitter at @ShopDirect.