Shop Direct ropes in Emma Alexander to head its fashion business

Shop Direct has appointed Emma Alexander as Fashion Director to head its branded and own brand clothing and footwear offerings. The company said, she will report to group product director and executive board member, Sam Perkins.

Commenting on her new role at Shop Direct, Alexander said in a statement: “Shop Direct has grown into one of the biggest, most innovative and most ambitious UK pureplay etailers, with a fashion offering to match. In recent years it’s transformed its portfolio with a wealth of outstanding brands, and built an inspirational own label that’s been a hit with customers thanks to strong design, value and quality. I want to continue the group’s fashion trajectory by delivering the brands our customers crave and taking V by Very even further – making it a household name.”

Emma Alexander to join Shop Direct as Fashion Director

Alexander joins the company, which operates Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com, on July 9, 2018 from Jack Wills, where she was chief product officer with responsibility for all categories globally, covering buying, design and sourcing. She, the company added, led a 75-strong team that improved the product offering and speed to market, as well as grew the retailer’s customer base.

At Shop Direct, Alexander will oversee all fashion buying and design, focusing on further strengthening the clothing and footwear category that makes up 34 percent of the group’s retail sales. The role will include developing the business’ brand portfolio, which spans popular high street names like River Island and Mango, and premium labels, such as Hugo Boss and Armani. She will also be in-charge of driving the business’ sportswear offering. In addition, Alexander will head the ongoing development of Shop Direct’s own label, V by Very, the group’s most popular brand, making up 10 percent of all retail sales.

“Emma is the perfect person to lead our clothing and footwear teams through the next phase of our transformation, as we continue to hone our portfolio of outstanding brands around our customer and build on the early success of V by Very,” added Sam Perkins, Group Product Director at Shop Direct.

Prior to this, she spent four years as brand director at USC, where she helped to turnaround the business, and four years at Marks & Spencer in senior fashion roles, including head of buying for men’s formalwear, footwear and accessories, and head of buying for the Per Una and Limited Collection brands in womenswear. Her experience also spans positions with Jaeger and River Island.

Picture credit:Emma Alexander via Brunswick Group