Notonthehighstreet.com appoints chairman

Online retailer Notonthehighstreet.com, which acts as a marketplace for more than 5,000 small creative businesses, has named Darren Shapland as its new chairman.

Shapland, who is currently chairman of Poundland, Topps Tiles and Maplin Electronics, will join the etailer later this month.

The news follows the appointment of Simon Belsham, the former online director of Tesco.com, as its new chief executive in March.

Commenting on his appointment, Shapland said: “I am very pleased to be joining Notonthehighstreet.com. The group goes from strength to strength and Simon’s recent arrival signals a new era of progression for the business, building on the original entrepreneurial vision of the founders.”

Belsham, added: “This is an exciting day for us. Darren’s significant track record and CV speak for themselves and we look forward to welcoming him to the board of Notonthehighstreet.com. His career experience and passion for retail will be beneficial to our business and the next phase in our ambitious growth plans.”

Notonthehighstreet.com was founded in 2006 by British entrepreneurs Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish, it has since gone on to generate more than 300 million pounds for its partners across the UK.