Depop makes Peter Semple permanent CEO to lead 'next phase of growth'

Fashion resale marketplace Depop has appointed Peter Semple as its permanent Chief Executive Officer, effective from 1 August 2025, after a brief tenure as Interim CEO.

Semple has been with the platform for over six years, originally joining as Chief Marketing Officer in February 2019. He has been serving as Interim CEO since May 2025.

Etsy, Inc. Chief Executive Officer, Josh Silverman, said: "As a leading resale platform, Depop is at the heart of the circular fashion movement and has seen remarkable momentum in recent years.

"During Peter’s time as Interim Chief Executive Officer, he demonstrated not only a proven ability to lead and inspire teams, but showed his dedication to the Depop mission and its community.

"He brings a strong understanding of Depop’s position in culture and resale and we couldn’t be more confident in his vision for the future."

Semple added: "After six years at Depop, I’m excited to permanently step into the Chief Executive Officer role and lead the business through this next phase of growth.

"My journey here, from building our brand as Chief Marketing Officer to guiding the company as Interim Chief Executive Officer, has been a privilege. Together with our incredible team, I am committed to accelerating our mission to make fashion circular."

Depop is ideally positioned to capitalise on the growing number of Brits buying second-hand goods online. New research from Amazon published last week, carried out on its behalf by Centre for Economics Business Research (CEBR), revealed that two-thirds of Brits bought second-hand goods online in 2024, saving £5.6 billion, while keeping 199 million products in circulation.

The study also revealed second-hand products now account for 34%-45% of UK spending, with top second-hand categories being clothing (54%), smartphone/tablets (26%) and small household appliances (24%).

Britain’s second-hand shopping boom has also seen average monthly spending on pre-loved goods more than double over five years, climbing 113% from £58.40 to £124.80 a month.

According to the report, pre-owned online shopping is now worth £4.3 billion a year in the UK. What’s more, 59% of Brits say they are more likely to purchase second-hand goods online in 2025.