N Brown appoints Managing Director of Retail to support ‘next phase of growth’
N Brown Group, the owner of JD Williams, Jacamo and Simply Be, has appointed Zoe Matthews as Managing Director of Retail.
Matthews has most recently been in the role of Senior Vice President at Reliance Retail, the largest retailer in India. Prior to that, she served as Product and Lifestyle Director (Fashion & Home) at John Lewis for two years from September 2022 to August 2024, having joined from the position of Vice President, George Brand, at George at Asda (from June 2018 to September 2022).
Other senior roles in a career spanning 30 years include Group Fashion Director at The Very Group, Director of Buying at Gap Europe, Senior Head of Buying & Design at White Stuff, Head of Buying at House of Fraser, Senior Buyer of Womenswear at John Lewis and Senior Buyer at Marks & Spencer.
She will now lead N Brown's retail business, overseeing strategy, trading and commercial performance as the group “continues to strengthen its proposition and deliver its long-term growth ambitions”.
Dan Joy, CEO at N Brown (since March 2026), said: “I'm delighted to welcome Zoe to the team. She brings an exceptional combination of commercial leadership, retail expertise and transformation experience, with a proven track record of building brands, leading high-performing teams and delivering sustainable growth.
“Retail is fundamental to our strategy, and Zoe's leadership will be instrumental as we continue to strengthen our proposition, simplify the business and deliver for our customers. I'm looking forward to working with Zoe as we continue building the next chapter for N Brown.”
Matthews added: “I'm excited to be joining N Brown at such an important point in its journey. The business has a unique heritage, strong brands and a clear opportunity to build on its momentum.
“I'm looking forward to working with colleagues across the business to continue evolving the retail proposition, delivering great outcomes for our customers and supporting the next phase of growth.”
