The Conran Shop appoints former Rains manager as Head of Wholesale

Lifestyle retailer The Conran Shop has appointed Tom Bettinson as Head of Wholesale, effective from 4 March 2024.

Bettinson joins after almost seven years as Country Manager for Danish rainwear and outdoor lifestyle brand Rains in the UK and Ireland, where he built and oversaw a distribution strategy for the brand’s wholesale business.

Prior to this, he spent three years heading up Danish fashion brand Norse Projects in the UK and Ireland, doubling the size of its wholesale operations.

The appointment is part of The Conran Shop’s strategic growth plan to further its product offering and presence in the UK and globally, as it targets fashion and lifestyle platforms in addition to furniture and lighting stores.

In his new role, Bettinson will be responsible for overseeing and advancing The Conran Shop’s wholesale division and bolstering its distribution of in-house designed collections with existing and new wholesale partners worldwide, effectively relaunching The Conran Shop brand and product collections.

Peter Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer at The Conran Shop, said: "We are delighted to welcome Tom to The Conran Shop. He brings a deep understanding of the retail industry and vast expertise in branding and wholesale which will add inimitable value to the business.

"Wholesale is a key division of growth at The Conran Shop. In addition to maintaining our ongoing wholesale relations, we are constantly looking at new partnership opportunities to support our strategic growth plans."

Bettinson added: "Following a rebrand and strategic shake-up in 2023, The Conran Shop is effectively relaunching to the global wholesale market this year with new and revived product collections.

"The target will be furniture and lighting retailers, along with fashion and lifestyle platforms for the brand’s home accessories, dinnerware and gifting ranges, which are all key categories for the future of the business. The Conran Shop’s current wholesale portfolio already includes the likes of Mr Porter and Matches, so there’s a lot of crossover."