New Look appoints Mark Matthews to lead store transformation and omnichannel integration

Women’s fashion brand New Look has announced the appointment of Mark Matthews as its new retail director, joining at what the company describes as "a pivotal time" for the retailer, which primarily targets the 18-44 age-group sector. Matthews succeeds Elaine Cartwright, who has recently moved to M&S to take on the role of stores director of innovation and implementation.

Matthews brings extensive retail experience from previous roles at major brands including Selfridges, George at Asda, and Bonmarché. At New Look, he will be responsible for managing the brand’s entire store estate and, critically, implementing its omnichannel strategy across all physical locations to "drive sales and enhance the customer experience." His expertise spans operations, visual merchandising, and in-store digital. According to New Look, Matthews also has a "strong track record of enhancing product ranges and modernising stores to improve service and sales," alongside experience working on "future store propositions that strengthen omnichannel integration and colleague engagement."

A primary focus for Matthews will be optimizing New Look’s store network to better serve customers across the UK as part of the overarching omnichannel strategy. He will join New Look’s director team, taking over from Cartwright, who had served the retailer for over a decade. Helen Connolly, CEO of New Look, commented on the appointment, stating, "Our store estate is a vital part of our omnichannel strategy, and… Mark brings extensive industry expertise and a customer-first mindset that will be key to our next phase of store development."

This evolving strategy has already yielded positive results through recent store upgrades. Concept launches at key locations, including the Bluewater mall in Kent and in Manchester, have "delivered strong double-digit like-for-like sales growth." According to the brand, this success reflects New Look's commitment to "innovation, digital integration and elevating the customer journey" in its physical stores.

The new appointment follows a significant period of digital transformation for New Look. Over the last five years, the retailer has invested heavily in upgrading its website and app, cultivated a 10 million-strong engaged customer base, and maintained leading positions in key categories like denim, dresses, and footwear. Earlier this year, New Look announced a further £30 million investment dedicated to powering the next phase of its digital growth. This investment supported the development of the brand's first loyalty app, "Club New Look," which has already secured over 700,000 members following a successful soft launch, largely driven by store teams.