Bank retailer ScS appoints former Argos boss Walden as chair

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ofa retailer SCS has appointed former Argos boss John Walden as chairman to replace Alan Smith, who will retire at the end of next year.

Walden will join ScS’s board of directors in early March 2023 as an independent non-executive director and chairman-designate. He is currently the non-executive chairman of used car salesman Motorpoint and SnowFox Topco Ltd, the Guernsey investment company behind restaurant chain Yo Sushi.

Smith said: “I am delighted that John is joining the ScS board and will eventually succeed me as group chairman.

“He brings deep board-level expertise in both executive and non-executive capabilities, has an outstanding consumer-driven and omnichannel experience, and has led transformative and digital change both in the UK and the US. John will be a great addition to the ScS team.”

Last month, the primarily retail park-based retailer warned that cost-of-living pressures had hit orders, despite ScS still raising its profit expectations for the remainder of the year.

In the year ended July 30, the furniture retailer reported a 3.9% increase in orders from the prior year.

Walden has held a number of senior positions, including: chairman of Naked Wines and chairman of Holland & Barrett International. Prior to that, he was also an Executive Director at FTD Companies and CEO of Argos and its parent company Home Retail Group.

Prior to that, he held several senior positions at Best Buy, including executive vice president and president of the online division.

He said: “I am delighted to join the board of ScS. The company is a leader in its sector and is operationally excellent with a strong balance sheet, solid board and leadership team and an opportunity and plan for improvement and growth. Looking forward to working with the ScS team.”