A former boss at the likes of Tesco, Morrisons and Poundland is to take a top role at Greater Manchester-headquartered JD Sports. Andy Higginson is to become chairman of the retail giant on Monday, July 11.
During his career he has also held senior roles with Manchester-based fashion group N Brown, Laura Ashley and Woolworths in South Africa.
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Mr Higginson, who was educated at Bury Grammar School, has also been a board member at the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and BskyB.
His appointment comes after Peter Cowgill quit as executive chairman in May. Non-executive director Helen Ashton has served as interim non-executive chair since then.
She is a former chief financial officer at ASOS and has also held executive level roles in Asda, Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group and CEO positions in high growth private equity backed businesses. She first joined the group in November 2021.
Mr Higginson held a number of senior leadership roles over nearly 15 years at Tesco.
Most recently, he was chair of Morrisons from January 2015 until the takeover of the business by private equity firm CD&R LLP in November 2021. He is also currently a senior independent director at Flutter plc.
He said: "Having closely followed JD's success over the years, I see it as an exceptional business, with a strong strategic position.
"The board has clearly been addressing its governance and risk management structure and I very much look forward to working with the board and the senior management team, including our new CEO once appointed, to bring my experience to bear and capitalise on the strength of the brands, market positions and channels to market including the global retail store network."
Helen Ashton added: "The board was impressed with the high-quality candidates that we met throughout the recruitment process. Andy, however, stood out as the best candidate with his extensive board experience including as a chair and his strong track record in the international retail sector.
"It is a testament to the quality and attractiveness of JD that we have recruited Andy to the important role of chair.
"JD is a great business with a clear strategy, occupying a unique place in the market and we look forward to working with him on our global development opportunities."
JD Sports recently posted record profits nearing £1bn for its latest financial year but warned the current economic woes will hold back its future growth.
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