Dobbies bolsters executive team with two new directors

Dobbies has hired two new directors in a bid to strengthen its executive team.

Former Pets at Home regional operations director George Hutchinson is joining the garden centre as its retail director.

Prior to joining Pets at Home, Hutchinson held senior roles across Wickes, B&Q and Tesco.

Additionally, Richard Herbert is joining the gardening company from travel agent Bourne Leisure as its restaurant director.

Before joining the travel agent, Herbert spent almost 12 years at Pizza Express, most recently as its central operations and programme director.

Dobbies CEO David Robinson said: “We’ve been focused on building a really strong senior team and we’re proud to share the news of these recent appointments.

“Both George and Richard bring fantastic experience, that complements the expertise we already have in place. They’ll each have essential roles in driving forward our strategy, building on the strong start we have had this spring so far.”

The appointments come as Dobbies operations director Nick Anderson steps down from his role after 12 years.

Robinson said: “We’d like to thank Nick for his tireless hard work and commitment over the last 12 years. He’s a hugely respected figure in the team, and he’s seen Dobbies through many challenges and successes over the years.”

The new hires come after Dobbies confirmed it would be closing 12 stores back in December, after its restructuring plan was approved by the Court of Session in Scotland.

The garden centre chain said it would exit the leases of 10 loss making sites while two additional sites in Morpeth and Stapleton would move to other garden centre operators.

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