M&S names ex New Look exec as Stores Director of Innovation amid £300m store revamp
Marks & Spencer has strengthened its retail leadership team with the appointment of Elaine Cartwright as its new Stores Director of Innovation and Implementation.
Cartwright joins M&S after more than 12 years at New Look, where she held a range of senior positions and most recently oversaw the retailer’s UK and Republic of Ireland store estate as retail director. Her move follows a career spent largely in store operations and transformation roles, with earlier stints at River Island, where she managed the brand’s Oxford Street flagship.
Jayne Wall, Director of Central Operations at M&S, told TheIndustry.fashion: "I’m pleased to share that Elaine Cartwright, formerly Retail Director UK & ROI at New Look, will join us today as Stores Director - Innovation & Implementation.
"Elaine brings more than 20 years of senior retail experience, having led large store networks, omnichannel operations and complex transformation programmes.
"Elaine will help us raise the bar through innovating the retail operating model and transforming customer solutions, helping us to offer exceptional service all day, every day, to every customer."
Cartwright will spend the busy December trading period working in stores to gain on-the-ground insight before officially stepping into the role in February, when she will report directly to Wall.
This comes as CEO Stuart Machin embarks on a £300 million store investment plan, announced in July, which includes opening 16 new stores this financial year alongside nine upsizes and 12 refurbishments. Machin described the programme as a “significant acceleration in momentum”, confirming that M&S had signed 47 deals for new or renewed stores to open by FY2028 - more than the previous three years combined.
The retailer is also pressing ahead with plans for new full-line stores in Bath (SouthGate) and Bristol (Cabot Circus), signalling that fashion, home and beauty remain critical to the company’s long-term estate strategy despite the current focus on Food.
