Off-licence chain Unwins has appointed Darren Williams as head of retail sales.
The role is a newly created position for the retailer, which has been dogged by a series of supply problems in recent months with tobacco and confectionery stocks low in many of its stores.
Reporting to Unwins marketing and sales director Ian McLernon, Williams will be responsible for Unwins’ entire retail estate of 381 stores.
As part of this, McLernon said that Williams would be expected to drive sales and profits in Unwins’ stores.
He would also be responsible
for managing the chain’s retail sales team, which is made up of 10 sales development managers and one training manager.
Williams joins Unwins from Whitbread where he was a senior operations manager within the group’s Costa Coffee division after joining the company in 2003.
Prior to that, Williams worked for mobile phone operator Orange for five years.
Unwins was acquired by DM Private Equity in March this year but since then has experienced a series of supply problems caused by an alleged row with its supplier Palmer & Harvey McLane.
In July, Unwins also revealed that it would be slashing the number of tobacco lines it sold by half as part of a wider move to focus on the core products the chain sells.
Northern Foods has appointed Ronnie Bell as a non-executive director. Bell held a number of key roles at Kraft Foods before retiring in 2004. He was latterly president of Kraft Foods Europe for five years during which he was responsible for its coffee, chocolate and grocery brands.
Improve, the food and drink sector skills council, has promoted Huw Rees to the new post of UK operations manager. In his new role, Rees will head a team of seven operations managers to strengthen relationships with employers and trade associations. He was previously at Milk Marque where he worked for 17 years, most recently as UK head of milk quotas.
Harris International Marketing has appointed former Aberness Group managing director Stanley Morrice as non-executive director.
Beth Brooks
northern non-exec
skills manager
Morrice at harris
The role is a newly created position for the retailer, which has been dogged by a series of supply problems in recent months with tobacco and confectionery stocks low in many of its stores.
Reporting to Unwins marketing and sales director Ian McLernon, Williams will be responsible for Unwins’ entire retail estate of 381 stores.
As part of this, McLernon said that Williams would be expected to drive sales and profits in Unwins’ stores.
He would also be responsible
for managing the chain’s retail sales team, which is made up of 10 sales development managers and one training manager.
Williams joins Unwins from Whitbread where he was a senior operations manager within the group’s Costa Coffee division after joining the company in 2003.
Prior to that, Williams worked for mobile phone operator Orange for five years.
Unwins was acquired by DM Private Equity in March this year but since then has experienced a series of supply problems caused by an alleged row with its supplier Palmer & Harvey McLane.
In July, Unwins also revealed that it would be slashing the number of tobacco lines it sold by half as part of a wider move to focus on the core products the chain sells.
Northern Foods has appointed Ronnie Bell as a non-executive director. Bell held a number of key roles at Kraft Foods before retiring in 2004. He was latterly president of Kraft Foods Europe for five years during which he was responsible for its coffee, chocolate and grocery brands.
Improve, the food and drink sector skills council, has promoted Huw Rees to the new post of UK operations manager. In his new role, Rees will head a team of seven operations managers to strengthen relationships with employers and trade associations. He was previously at Milk Marque where he worked for 17 years, most recently as UK head of milk quotas.
Harris International Marketing has appointed former Aberness Group managing director Stanley Morrice as non-executive director.
Beth Brooks
northern non-exec
skills manager
Morrice at harris
No comments yet