M&S poaches Halfords chief for its clothing arm

The high street bellwether said Jill McDonald had been recruited into the new role of managing director for clothing, home and beauty, joining the retailer in the autumn of this year.

The move will see Ms McDonald take over the responsibility of running of the clothing division from chief executive Steve Rowe, who has remained in charge of the operation since his promotion to the top job in April last year.

M&S was given a boost at the start of the year when like-for-like sales in its clothing and home division rose 2.3 per cent in the 13 weeks to December 31 - the first growth since the January to March quarter in 2015.

However, Mr Rowe stressed at the beginning of 2017 that there was more work to do in its efforts to revive clothing sales and suggested the quarterly rise may not mark a return to sustained sales growth.

Speaking about Ms McDonald’s appointment, Mr Rowe said: “I am pleased with the progress we have made in Clothing & Home over the last year and the time is now right for this appointment.

“Jill is an excellent addition to the M&S senior leadership team and we are delighted that she is joining us.

“Jill’s first-class customer knowledge and great experience in running dynamic, high- achieving teams make her exactly the right person to lead this all-important part of our business from recovery in to growth.”