River Island's Chair replaced by company veteran Ben Lewis

River Island, which is owned by the Lewis family dynasty, has today announced that its Executive Chair Richard Bradbury will be stepping down due to 'personal circumstances', with immediate effect.

Ben Lewis, a member of the retail dynasty that owns the retailer, 'knows the business inside out'. He will return to the role of Chief Executive Officer, a position he previously held for almost a decade until 2019. Clive Lewis will resume his previous role as non-executive Chair.

Richard Bradbury said: "It has been a great honour to have worked in this amazing business twice. The River Island team is incredible, and during the last two years, we have achieved so much together to position the business for its next phase.

"I know that River Island will be in strong and capable hands under the experienced leadership of Ben, who knows the business inside out."

Ben Lewis added: "I am excited to be rejoining River Island at such a pivotal time. Richard has built a great team, and I look forward to working with them to continue to develop the business and capture the many opportunities ahead."

River Island has been a pioneering force on the British high street. It was founded by the now 96-year-old Bernard Lewis in 1946 as Lewis Separates, which went on to become a national chain. It was transformed into Chelsea Girl in the 1960s and then River Island in the 1980s. The business was believed to have been the first to manufacture its own clothes, rather than buy through wholesalers, and the first UK fashion retailer to source from Hong Kong.

Clive Lewis commented: "Richard steps down having made a strong impact on the business and the Board is extremely grateful for his leadership. With Ben’s deep history with River Island, there is no question that he is the right person to lead the company into its next chapter."

This follows last month's news that River Island had reportedly drafted in advisors AlixPartners after revealing a pre-tax loss of £32.3 million late last year.

It comes as the high street braces for national insurance tax increases, which are set to hit the retail sector particularly hard. In October's Budget, the Government increased the rate of national insurance paid by employers from April and also reduced the threshold that employers start paying from £9,100 to £5,000.

Retailers of all sizes have complained about the impact of forthcoming increases. NEXT's wage bill is set to rise by £70 million. Meanwhile, Marks & Spencer revealed it will be facing a £120 million hit to its wage bill.

In October 2024, River Island declared it’s a "year of reset" after revealing a pre-tax loss of £32.3 million for the year ending 30 December 2024. Sales dipped by 15% to £701.5 million, down from £825.8 million the year prior, according to a filing on Companies House.