Matalan, the leading fashion and homeware omnichannel value retailer, announces the appointment of Sarah Welsh to the new role of chief pProduct, brand and commercial officer effective from 10th March 2025.
Sarah joins Matalan with nearly 30 years’ experience in the retail industry, having worked for numerous high street retailers across omnichannel, wholesale, franchise and e-commerce models. During her extensive career, Welsh has built and transformed various retail frameworks, leading departments within Trading, Buying, Design and Marketing to drive brand relevance and business performance.
Before joining Matalan, Welsh spent five years as Retail CEO at N Brown Group, the digital clothing retailer, where she transformed the Group’s traditional catalogue offer and moved the business to a more agile digital footing. Prior to this, Sarah was Managing Director of Oasis Fashion and held senior buying roles at Miss Selfridge and River Island, having started her career at Laura Ashley.
Welsh will be responsible for putting customers at the heart of Matalan’s proposition, ensuring products always meet customers’ desire for great quality and value, to grow market share, and appeal to a broader audience, inspiring our existing customers whilst also acquiring new ones.
Karl-Heinz Holland, Matalan’s executive chair, commented: “Sarah has deep experience in driving transformation within retail businesses, and we are delighted to welcome her to Matalan. Her passion for the customer proposition coupled with her sharp commercial insight and extensive leadership experience makes her a great fit for our senior team.”
Welsh added: “Matalan is a much-loved brand that puts customers firmly at the heart of the offer. The business has strong foundations and a fantastic team, and I look forward to driving Matalan’s transformation forward as we seek to deliver sustainable, profitable growth.”
