“Very is our powerhouse” says group chief executive Henry Birch at Retail Week Live.
The Shop Direct business is to rebrand to The Very Group this year to make it even more recognisable to consumers.
Group chief executive Henry Birch made the announcement at yesterday’s Retail Week Live (March 27) during a conversation with chair, Harry Wallop.
Henry also confirmed there were no plans to close Littlewoods, saying that it was a “robust and well-loved business” and if it was taken out of Shop Direct, it would be the 11th or 12th pure play retailer in the UK.
Henry continued: “But Very is our powerhouse and continues to perform above market growth, and that’s why we are going to rebrand Shop Direct to The Very Group this year.”
Retail Week Live had opened with Judith McKenna, ceo of Walmart International, who focused on automation and the role it will play in retail from a workforce viewpoint in her keynote address.
“Retailers play a special role in society – we are one of the biggest employment sectors, providing many people with their first jobs, and we have a responsibility to think about the future of work, the technology driving it and the impact it will have on people,” she commented.
When pushed on the Asda/Sainsbury’s merger by Harry, she replied: “We’re still in the process – we’re still working with CMA to see what the path forward is. We think we put together what was a fair and reasonable proposal which enables the merger to be delivered in a way that was beneficial to British consumers.”
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