TFG London CEO Ben Barnett announces departure
TFG London CEO Ben Barnett has announced he will be stepping down to focus on his non-executive portfolio next year.
Barnett will step down next June after 14 years at the South African owned group, which counts Whistles, Hobbs, Damsel in a Dress, and Phase Eight among its brands.
He will be replaced as CEO of the group by Hobbs managing director Justin Hampshire, who joined the group in 2017 when Hobbs was acquired by TFG.
Barnett came into the TFG group after its acquisition of Phase Eight in 2015, where he began as finance director in 2007 and later went on to become its CEO. The Phase Eight buy marked TFG London's entry into the UK market and Barnett was made its CEO.
He was later also appointed chairman on Whistles when that brand was also brought into the fold in 2016 in an acquisition led by Barnett. He also led the acquisition of Hobbs a year later.
Barnett said of his departure: “The last 14 years have been an incredible journey, on which I have been privileged to work with an exceptionally talented team of people. Whilst it will be tough to personally step back from the brands we have built together, I am delighted to be handing over to Justin and confident that he is the right person to lead our store and head office teams in the next phase of our brands’ development.”
Anthony Thunstrom, CEO of TFG SA, added: “Whilst the UK retail market clearly remains challenging, we are exiting the Covid crisis with a portfolio of exceptional international womenswear brands that are well positioned for a swift recovery. I am grateful to Ben for his significant role in the creation of our London brand portfolio and am confident that Justin will lead the team through its next phase of growth.”
Meanwhile Hampshire said: “I’m really excited to be taking TFG London through the next phase of development after what has been a challenging year for us all. We have an enormously talented team and I am grateful to Ben, Anthony and the TFG brand teams for their leadership and support over the past five years.”
Barnett is also part-time chairman at sustainable fashion retailer All Good Things and of One Stock, the SaaS based order management systems provider.
