Oak Furnitureland has named former Sainsbury’s chief executive Mike Coupe as chairman.
Coupe ran the grocer for six years before leaving last summer and was behind its purchase of Argos.
‘Mike has invaluable experience working at the very top level of the retail sector and he will play a key role as we implement our growth plans over the next few years. It’s great to have him on board,’ says Alex Fisher, Oak Furnitureland chief executive.
‘I’m very excited to be joining Oak Furnitureland at a pivotal time for the business and I look forward to working with Alex and the management team to realise the business’ ambitions in 2021 and beyond,’ says Coupe
In June the chain was bought by investment firm Davidson Kempner Capital Management in pre-pack administration deal. A month later it said it planned to close 27 of its 105 branches. This number has now fallen to 75.
Coupe is due to become a non-executive director of NHS England this month. In September, he was appointed director of Covid testing at England’s Test and Trace agency on a 12-week contract, serving under his former Sainsbury’s colleague Dido Harding.
Image: Sainsbury’s
