Senior changes at Shop Direct as two top executives exit

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Mar 2, 2018

Digital retailer Shop Direct has announced that two top executives, Matt Dixon and Zoe Matthews, group product director and group fashion director respectively, are leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.

Dixon will be replaced by Sam Perkins, currently group merchandising director, leaving the business on 6 April to take some time out with his family before exploring new opportunities. Until then, Matt and Sam will work together to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities, said the company.

The new group product director has been at Shop Direct for almost three years. He joined from Tesco, where he was commercial director, and has over the last years helped to develop data-driven, dynamic pricing and grow categories like sportswear, where Shop Direct is now the UK’s top seller.

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Matt Dixon leaves after seven years with Shop Direct. During that time, he oversaw the expansion of the company’s stable of brands to over 1,800, whilst growing its biggest relationships year on year.

Meanwhile, Zoe Matthews is leaving the company in the summer to join Asda/Walmart as VP of the George brand. At Shop Direct, she re-focused the fashion portfolio towards major names like River Island, Mango and Karen Miller, and led the consolidation of the group’s V By Very.

Shop Direct, which owns platforms including Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com, said the search for a new group fashion director has now begun.

Derek Harding, interim group CEO at Shop Direct, thanked Dixon and Matthews for their contribution to the business and welcomed Perkin’s promotion.

“We’re delighted to promote Sam to the role. He’s proved to be an inspirational and innovative leader, who’s already made a big difference at Shop Direct. We’re confident that he’s the right person to head up our product team – where we have big opportunities in data-driven pricing and trialling new stockless technology – through the next phase of our transformation,” he said.