Very Group taps former Fenwick CEO as retail managing director

Very Group, the parent company of online retailer Very, has announced the appointment of former Fenwick CEO Robbie Feather as its new retail managing director and a member of its executive board.

He replaces Sam Perkins, who will step down at the end of the year after seven years at the business.

Feather was at the helm of British luxury department store Fenwick between 2018 and 2020. He was brought in to oversee the turnaround and modernisation of the business, and was credited with developing its digital strategy, launching the business online, centralising its nine independently-run stores and introducing new processes, IT systems and ways of working to support the new structure.

Prior to Fenwick, Feather spent six years at Sainsbury’s Argos across a number of roles, most recently as commercial director where he oversaw the digital transformation of the business and led the commercial team.

“We are delighted to have attracted someone of Robbie’s calibre to join our executive board,” said Very Group CEO Henry Birch in a statement.

“An experienced business leader, Robbie brings substantial expertise in retail and a strong digital and commercial track record. He is the perfect person to lead our retail team into the post-pandemic era and we look forward to him joining us in November.”

The news comes amid rumours of a potential upcoming IPO by the Liverpool-headquartered company.

In August, Sky News reported that Very Group lined up Barclays, Morgan Stanley and UBS to spearhead its potential flotation on the stock market, which could take place next year.

The report came days after the group announced it had raised 575 million pounds to refinance its debt through the issuing of senior secured notes due to expire in 2026.

The group reported a 2.9 percent increase in revenue to over 2 billion pounds in the year to June 2020.