JD Sports’ chief operating officer (COO) Sherilyn Paterson is set to leave the retailer after a 12 year tenure.

Paterson originally joined the firm as head of merchandise for footwear in 2012, before becoming COO in 2023. Retail trade Drapers reported she left for “personal reasons.”

The executive’s successor has not been announced.

Before landing the role at JD Sports, Paterson held management positions at Kurt Geiger, Miss Selfridge, and Topshop.

JD has already completed numerous high-profile acquisitions this year, including the purchase of US sports fashion retailer Hibbett for £899 million in April.

The firm said the deal was part of its vision for achieving growth in North America.

JD Sports reported revenue of £10.4bn in the year ending January 2024, a 2.7 per cent rise year-on-year.

However, the retailer said the market was “very challenging” and cited increased costs as the reason for pre-tax profits falling 8 per cent year-on-year to £912m.

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