Morleys Department Stores has announced the appointment of Melanie Smallwood to the newly created role of chief trading officer. She will join the company this month, reporting directly to CEO Ray Clacher.
Melanie brings over 30 years of senior retail leadership experience, with a track record spanning luxury and premium department stores including Harrods, where she held P&L responsibility for the womenswear and kidswear divisions, and Harvey Nichols, where she served as global buying director.
Most recently, Melanie served as chief commercial and brand partnerships officer at Global Fashion Group, where she led trading and commercial strategy across 12 countries.
In her new role, Melanie will take full responsibility for the group's buying and merchandising function, reporting directly to the CEO and board.
The group says this appointment marks the culmination of Morleys' efforts to bolster its senior leadership team, following the recent appointments of Judd Wilson as CFO in October and Ray Clacher as CEO in January.
Bernard Dreesmann, chairman of Morleys Department Stores, says: “On behalf of the board, I am delighted to welcome Melanie Smallwood to the group. We are extremely flattered that Melanie has agreed to join us at this critical time for the business. Our new management team, together with a multi-million pound investment into our latest new store, Jolly’s of Bath, opening later this year, signifies our commitment to strengthening the independent department store sector. Melanie’s extensive department store career will prove invaluable to us.”
Ray Clacher adds: “Many of us in premium/luxury retail know Melanie well. I could not be happier that we managed to convince Melanie to join us on this exciting journey for this group, which will proudly be 100 years old in 2027. I look forward to working with Melanie and all the senior team to show that the community department is still a vital mainstay of the British high street.”
