M&S names Commercial & Operations Director amid ongoing transformation

Marks & Spencer has appointed Jon Rolls as Commercial & Operations Director for Fashion, Home & Beauty, bringing a "deep expertise" in trading, operational efficiency, and large-scale transformation.

The appointment marks a return to M&S for Rolls, who began his career at the British retailer as part of its graduate scheme. He later moved to New Look in 2006, where he served as Head of Merchandising.

In 2011, he joined Primark, progressing through a series of senior merchandising roles. In 2019, he was appointed Group Director of Planning and Space and became a member of the Executive team.

The appointment marks a "significant step" in the ongoing transformation of M&S’s Fashion, Home & Beauty division.

Reporting to John Lyttle, Rolls will be responsible for identifying commercial opportunities and improving operational efficiency across the end-to-end supply chain.

As part of this, he will lead the cross-business unit commercial planning, oversee the Outlets division, and drive the modernisation of systems across merchandising, forecasting, and range planning - "enhancing collaboration between internal teams and supply partners".

It comes as the transformation of Marks & Spencer's Fashion, Home & Beauty supply chain remains "in its early stages". The next phase will focus on a "comprehensive restructuring" of the end-to-end operation.

Key priorities include the rollout of a new merchandise and range management system, increased automation across the logistics network to support online growth, and strengthening the resilience and flexibility of the supply base.

John Lyttle, Managing Director of Fashion, Home & Beauty, said: "I’m delighted to welcome Jon as our incoming Commercial & Operations Director.

"His experience in driving operational change and commercial growth in fast-paced retail environments will be invaluable as we reshape our supply chain for growth and build a more agile, customer-focused business."