News
February 10, 2016
David Jones’ former CEO Iain Nairn to oversee Kikki.K expansion
Former David Jones chief executive Iain Nairn will take charge of Kikki.K’s global expansion after joining the stationery retailer as chief executive this week.
Nairn, who left David Jones abruptly in October despite delivering the strongest sales growth for 15 years, has taken the helm of the privately owned Kikki.K from Russell Parker and will work alongside his wife, Sue, Kikki.K’s general manager of retail.
Kikki.K chairman Sam McKay told Fairfax Media that Nairn’s retail experience in Britain, where he previously worked with retailers such as River Island and Laura Ashley, would help Kikki.K expand into that country and Europe.
Kikki.K opened its first two stores in Britain before Christmas and is looking for potential sites in the United States and Europe.
“Iain’s background as a world-class retail CEO with significant relevant experience where we wanted to go was what attracted us to him,” said McKay.
“[Co-founders] Kristina Karlsson and Paul Lacy have known Iain nearly a decade and have a huge amount of respect for him as a person and as a retail leader,” he added. “His track record of being a world-class retail CEO with significant local and international brand management expertise and experience is very relevant for the continued growth of Kikki.K.”
Nairn was CEO of David Jones for more than a year after South African retailer Woolworths Holdings acquired it in August 2014. Before joining David Jones, he was chief executive of Country Road for two years and CEO of Witchery Group for six years.
Read the full article here.
