Ex-Poundland boss Austin Cooke joins Howdens
Former Poundland managing director Austin Cooke has joined kitchens giant Howdens as its new managing director for trade.
Former Poundland managing director Austin Cooke has joined kitchens giant Howdens as its new managing director for trade.
The role marks a step change for Cooke, who has spent the last seven years Poundland holding several executive roles before he stepped down at the end of last month.
Prior to that, he held several director positions during his more than eight year stint at KFC and four years at Phones4U.
Cooke, who shared the news on Linkedin, said: “The fantastic culture at Howdens is something you can see, hear, and feel. Over the past few months, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of the team, and I am excited to get started.”
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His departure at Poundland coincided with the return of its former boss Barry Williams, who is back on an interim basis to oversee a “comprehensive assessment” of Poundland and its sister chain Dealz in the Republic of Ireland.
It is unclear who will replace Cooke or Williams, who is helping to formulate the new strategy for the discount chain that owner Pepco will present at its Capital Markets day on 6 March.
The group is currently working with advisors at AlixPartners and is reported to be considering a sale of Poundland or a formal restructuring process that could result in job cuts and store closures.
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