McColl’s finance chief departs for Holland & Barrett
The chief financial officer of McColl’s Retail Group will step down to join health food retailer Holland & Barrett, the convenience store chain announced this morning.
McColl’s said Robbie Bell had resigned to take up the finance chief role at Holland & Barrett.
The company has launched a search for a successor, saying Bell will remain at McColl’s until a replacement has been appointed and a handover has taken place.
The exact date of his departure will be announced at a later date, the convenience store company said today.
In February, McColl’s suspended the payment of its dividend as it announced a £100m loss for 2019, down from a profit of £7.9m the previous year. The company had warned it in December that it would miss expectations due to unseasonable weather and weak consumer confidence.
Chief executive Jonathan Miller said: “I would like to thank Robbie for his contribution to McColl’s during his time here and we wish him well for the future.
“This is a busy time for McColl’s as we continue to respond to increased customer demand and keep the neighbourhood communities we serve supplied with the food, goods and services they need every day.”
Former Welcome Break boss Bell joined the retailer last year, and was previously finance chief at Screwfix and Travelodge UK finance director. Prior to that he held a number of senior positions at Tesco.
Bell added: “It has been a pleasure working at McColl’s and I would like to thank Jonathan, the board and all my colleagues for their support.
“Whilst it was a difficult decision, I am stepping down to pursue a new opportunity, and I wish McColl’s every success in the future.”