Sainsbury’s appoints Paula Nickolds as general merchandise and clothing commercial director
Sainsbury’s has appointed former John Lewis managing director Paula Nickolds as general merchandise and clothing commercial director.
Due to take up her new role in June, she will also be a member of the Sainsbury’s operating board.
Nickolds will be heading up Sainsbury’s £7.8 billion general merchandise and clothing business which includes Sainsbury’s general merchandise, Argos, Habitat and Tu clothing.
The supermarket is hoping to benefit from Nickolds’ extensive retail experience which was gained at the John Lewis Partnership where she worked for 25 years. Having joined John Lewis as a graduate trainee, she was subsequently appointed to a series of product, buying, brand and commercial roles before working as managing director of John Lewis from 2017 to 2020.
Simon Roberts, Sainsbury’s chief executive, said: “I am delighted that Paula is joining us, she is a highly respected, talented and experienced retail leader. I am certain that under her leadership, our brands that deliver – Argos, Habitat and Tu – will continue to delight our customers and support everything we are doing in food. Paula brings deep experience in product, brands and commercial leadership and she has a passion for understanding and delivering for customers. We are all looking forward to her joining our team.”
Nickolds will be taking takes over from Mike Luck who has decided to step down after 18 years, although he will remain with the business until mid-July to ensure a smooth handover.
Roberts added: “I am really grateful to Mike for leading general merchandise and clothing at such a crucial time for the business as we were planning and launching our new strategy. In that time Mike and his team have successfully re-launched Habitat and developed the plan for our next phase of growth, changed our ways of working to deliver a lower cost base across our global commercial team and significantly grown sales in Argos. I would also like to thank him for everything he has achieved over the past 18 years.”
