Wickes has appointed Steven Blair as its new chief retail and distribution officer.

Blair joins the company from Tesco, where has served as strategy and business planning director since 2023.

He has worked for the supermarket chain for more than nine years.

Blair has also held roles at B&Q and Marks and Spencer, where he worked for almost 10 years.

"We are delighted that Steven is joining Wickes to lead our Retail and Distribution operations, at such an exciting time for the business, said Wickes group chief executive David Wood. “His extensive retail leadership experience, passion for the sector and deep expertise in managing operations will add tremendous value to our team.”

Blair said that he was delighted to join the executive team at an “exciting time” for the business.

"By putting colleagues and customers at the heart of everything we do, I’m confident we can achieve great things together, and I can’t wait to get started to help deliver the growth strategy," he continued.

The move comes after the home improvement retailer recorded a hike in sales and volume growth for the third quarter of 2024, despite facing what it described as challenging market conditions.

Sales were up by four per cent over the period compared to a decline of nearly four per cent during the first half of the year.

The increase in sales is a welcome improvement for the retailer following a difficult year for the homewares market. In 2024, household names Carpetright and Wilko collapsed after many years in business.

---