Robbie Feather has been appointed as the new CEO of The Very Group, replacing Lionel Desclée, who decided to step down in order to pursue other opportunities.
Prior to joining The Very Group in 2021, Feather oversaw all aspects of category sourcing, procurement, and merchandising for the retail division in addition to group trade and marketing. Recently, he has been in charge of the company’s market-beating retail performance and the creation of its successful new brand platform, which has seen Very UK H1 FY24 revenue rise 2.7% year over year to over £1 billion ($1.27 billion).
Feather was the CEO of department store chain Fenwick before joining The Very Group. In that capacity, he oversaw the company’s turnaround and modernised its consumer offering, which included developing its online division. Prior to joining Sainsbury’s Argos, he held several positions there, including director of commercial on the Argos board, where he supervised the company’s digital transition and directed the commercial team.
Feather said, “This is an outstanding business with a unique proposition, combining multicategory digital retail with flexible ways to pay. I look forward to working with our amazing Very team to delight our customers and continue to deliver sustainable growth for our shareholders.”
Aidan Barclay, The Very Group’s chairman added, “Robbie has proven to be an outstanding retail leader, both at The Very Group and throughout his career. He understands our business intimately and has a strong track record of transformation and growth. He is the perfect person to lead the next stage of The Very Group’s development.”
