BHS appoints interim chief executive

BHS’s new owners Retail Acquisitions has confirmed Darren Topp as its interim chief executive, following the departure of Richard Price who is leaving his role to head up Tesco clothing brand F&F.

Topp’s appointment comes days after Retail Acquisitions took charge of the department store chain, which was sold off by Sir Philip Green on March 12. Topp has worked at BHS for six years, most recently as chief operating officer, and will take up his new position effective immediately.

Commenting on his new role, Topp said: “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to lead BHS, which remains an iconic name on UK high street. I am really looking forward to working with our new owners and our 11,000 loyal staff to return the business to its glory days.

“There are clearly some challenges ahead and no magic wand we can wave, but we have a clear strategy which is already showing some signs of success with the best sales performance for a decade, and we continue to trade positively. As a result, I believe we can look forward to the next chapter in the company’s history with confidence.”

Dominic Chappell, chief executive officer of Retail Acquisitions, added: “Over the past few weeks we have spent a significant amount of time with Darren and the leadership team, who have more than 300 years of retail experience between them. We look forward to working with them to build on the initial successes of the turnaround plan and return BHS to profitability.”