11 Aug 2014 Maplin Announces Appointment of New Chairman
Maplin Electronics has announced that Darren Shapland will be appointed as non-executive chairman of the company from 1st September 2014.
Mr Shapland takes over from John Lovering, who retired as chairman in June post the sale of Maplin to new owners Rutland Partners.
John Cleland, CEO at Maplin Electronics commented: “We are all delighted to have the opportunity to work with Darren. He brings a wealth of business and retail knowledge, which will undoubtedly add momentum to the solid growth and success of the business last year.”
Maplin has delivered consistently strong like-for-like sales improvement over the course of the past 12 months and continues to deliver against its growth strategy under new ownership.
Maplin has doubled its product range in two years and invested both in its store estate and the creation of a new website. Most recently, the company ran its first national television campaign featuring “Maplin Moment”, focussing on helping consumers to get the best from modern technology and celebrating the quality of Maplin’s customer advice through its highly skilled colleagues.
Darren Shapland commented: “I am delighted to be working with Maplin as non-executive chairman. The business model is unique and the company has great plans for the future. I’m looking forward to joining a great team.”