Baldock to leave £1.9bn turnover business Shop Direct

Alex Baldock

Alex Baldock, the chief executive of Liverpool-based Shop Direct, is to leave his post after a seven-year stint culminating in record sales of £1.9bn.

He will leave the online retailer next summer following the announcement of a surge in mobile phone shoppers, which now account for 53% of the business.

Baldock has steered Shop Direct’s turnaround from a (Littlewoods) catalogue retailer to a digital business and has recently been focused on boosting the company’s use of artificial intelligence to respond more quickly to customer buying patterns.

The company, owned by Telegraph Media Group owners Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, ceased printing its Littlewoods catalogue in 2015 in favour of an online-only model.

“It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to lead this exceptional team through such a rapid and far-reaching transformation”, said Baldock.

“It’s now time for me to move on to the next challenge, but I will do so with fond memories and full confidence that the business will continue to thrive under new leadership.”

Shop Direct’s shareholders announced in July they would not be pursuing sale discussions over the business as the appetite of potential bidders had changed amid election uncertainty.

Aidan Barclay, chairman of Shop Direct, said that Mr Baldock had “brought strategic clarity, relentless execution, and inspired his people to get behind him at every step”.

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