Homewares retailer Dunelm has announced that Arja Taaveniku, an independent non-executive director of the company, has taken the decision to step down as a director from the end of 2024.

She will take on the role of chief executive at Home Centre, a home furnishings company in the Middle East.

Taaveniku has served as non-executive director and member of the audit committee and remuneration committee at Dunelm since February 2021. Prior to this, she held a variety of roles at Ikea and home improvement company Kingfisher.

"On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Arja for the valuable contribution she has made to the company over the last three years,” said Alison Brittain, Dunelm chair. “We have initiated a search for a new independent non-executive director and will provide an update on this process in due course."

In February, Dunelm announced that sales had jumped by 4.5 per cent over the preceding six months, with total sales increasing to £872 million.

Dunelm said that despite a “more difficult” trading environment, profit before tax also increased by 4.8 per cent to £123 million compared to the previous year.

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