Poaching Talent for Store Growth

  • The Range and Wilko owner poaches Matalan’s property director
  • Antony Darbyshire joins CDS Superstores as head of property
  • Darbyshire to accelerate expansion plans for The Range and Wilko
  • Over 30 years of retail property experience

The Range and Wilko owner, CDS Superstores, has appointed Antony Darbyshire, the former property director of Matalan, to lead their store expansion plans. With over 30 years of retail property experience, Darbyshire will be responsible for rolling out Wilko’s concept stores across the UK and Northern Ireland. The Range, which was rescued by The Range last September, is set to open its sixth store in Poole on August 16th. Darbyshire, who also aims to grow The Range’s over 200-store portfolio, previously served as director of property for Frasers Group’s Sports Direct. CDS Superstores CEO Alex Simpkin expressed excitement about Darbyshire’s expertise in property management and its potential impact on the growth of both The Range and Wilko brands.

Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides relevant information about Antony Darbyshire’s appointment as head of property for CDS Superstores and his experience in retail property management. It also mentions the expansion plans for The Range and Wilko, including new store openings. However, it contains a brief unrelated mention of Kingfisher at the end which may be considered slightly irrelevant.
Noise Level: 7
Noise Justification: The article provides some relevant information about a company’s expansion plans and new hire, but it is mostly focused on reporting news without much analysis or insight. It also includes an unrelated sentence at the end about Kingfisher building its own AI.
Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: The Range and Wilko’s expansion plans may impact retail real estate market and affect related companies.
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses the hiring of a property director to accelerate The Range’s expansion, which could lead to opening more stores for both The Range and Wilko. This can potentially impact the retail real estate market and other businesses in the industry.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: No
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: No
Extreme Rating Justification: There is no mention of an extreme event in the last 48 hours.

Reported publicly: www.retailgazette.co.uk