Joules CEO to become chairman at Moss Bros

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Mar 18, 2019

Colin Porter, the chief executive of country-inspired clothing brand Joules, has been appointed non-executive director at formal menswear specialist Moss Bros, effective immediately.

He will become chairman in May when Debbie Hewitt retires, the brand announced in a statement in Monday.

“I am delighted to have delivered on my commitment to provide a strong successor and well planned transition. As well as his proven multi-channel experience, Colin brings broad strategic, international, retailing skills, within a private and listed board environment. I am sure that he will bring strong leadership to our board and all of the skills required for the next stage in our development,” commented Debbie Hewitt, who has been chairman for almost nine years.

Porter is currently the boss of Joules, where he has led the brand through a successful international multichannel strategy since 2010. He oversaw the company’s IPO on to AIM in 2016, and has since continued to create shareholder value.

Prior to that, the held senior roles at retail brands including House of Fraser, Etam, Laura Ashley and Arcadia.

He commented: “I am really excited to be joining the board and taking up the role of chairman of Moss Bros, which is a company with a great heritage, committed colleagues and tremendous opportunities for growth. I am looking forward to working with Brian Brick, our CEO and the rest of the team."

Earlier this year, the company also recruited former Missguided exec Gareth Jones as non-executive director.

Moss Bros has continued to perform comparatively steadily in a brutal retail environment, reporting a 0.6% increase in sales in the 23 weeks to 5 January. The business trades from around 130 stores and an online shop.