UK supermarket group Sainsbury’s has named Paula Nickolds, the former managing director of John Lewis, as its new general merchandise and clothing commercial director.
In her new role, Nickolds will be responsible for the commercial success of Sainsbury’s GBP7.8bn (US$10.7bn) general merchandise and clothing business, which includes Sainsbury’s general merchandise, Argos, Habitat and Tu clothing.
Nickolds was with John Lewis for 25 years, joining the company as a graduate trainee and working in product, buying, brand, and commercial before becoming managing director from 2017 until January last year.
She will join Sainsbury’s in June, succeeding Mike Luck who will stay with the business until mid-July to ensure a smooth handover.
The UK supermarket group saw its clothing sales fall 8.5% in the last financial year as the pandemic had a significant impact on group revenues.
