Value fashion and homewares retailer Matalan has appointment Sarah Welsh to the newly-created role of chief product, brand and commercial officer effective Monday (10 March).

Welsh joins Matalan with an impressive retail CV spanning nearly 30 years at several high-profile high street retailers across omnichannel, wholesale, franchise and e-commerce models. 

Previously, she spent five years as Retail CEO at digital fashion retailer N Brown Group “where she transformed the group’s traditional catalogue offer and moved the business to a more agile digital footing”.

Before that, she was managing director of Oasis Fashion and has also held senior buying roles at Miss Selfridge and River Island after beginning her career with Laura Ashley.

Welsh “will be responsible for putting customers at the heart of Matalan’s proposition, ensuring products always meet customers’ desire for great quality and value, to grow market share, and appeal to a broader audience, inspiring our existing customers while also acquiring new ones”, according to her wide brief.

Matalan executive chair Karl-Heinz Holland added: “Sarah has deep experience in driving transformation within retail businesses, and we are delighted to welcome her to Matalan. Her passion for the customer proposition coupled with her sharp commercial insight and extensive leadership experience makes her a great fit for our senior team.”

Welsh said: “The business has strong foundations and a fantastic team, and I look forward to driving Matalan’s transformation forward as we seek to deliver sustainable, profitable growth.”