Derek Lovelock to stand down as chairman of Jack Wills

Retail veteran Derek Lovelock will stand down from his role of chairman at British premium fashion brand Jack Wills at the end of this year to be replaced by Richard Wyatt, vice-chairman of Rothschilds.

Lovelock, the former chairman of Oasis and Warehouse parent Aurora Fashions, took on the role of chairman at Jack Wills a year ago when founder and CEO Peter Williams teamed up with Bluegem Capital Partners to acquire the brand from its long-term investor Inflexion.

Derek Lovelock

Wyatt was lead adviser to Williams during the BlueGem deal and has more than 30 years of experience in the UK financial industry. He founded Loudwater, an investment business, in 2006 and was chairman of media group Engine until its sale in 2015.

Williams said the business he founded in Salcombe, Devon in 1999 was "in increasingly great shape and so, just over a year on, Derek will be stepping down at the end of this year. I would like to personally thank Derek for everything he has done for Jack Wills.

“I have worked very closely with Richard for some time, including through the transaction with BlueGem, and am very excited that he will be formally joining us as chairman,” he added.