River Island: Ben Lewis rejoins as CEO as executive chair steps down
River Island has announced that Richard Bradbury is stepping down from his role as executive chair due to personal reasons.
River Island has announced that Richard Bradbury is stepping down from his role as executive chair due to personal reasons.
Bradbury, who previously served as CEO of the family-owned fashion retailer, rejoined River Island in December 2022, bringing with him a wealth of experience after having left the company in 2010.
Following Bradbury’s departure, Ben Lewis will resume his role as CEO with immediate effect. Lewis, whose uncle Bernard Lewis is the founder and owner of River Island, previously held the CEO position for nearly a decade before stepping down in 2019.
“I am excited to be rejoining River Island at such a pivotal time,” said Lewis.
“Richard has built a great team, and I look forward to working with them to continue to develop the business and capture the many opportunities ahead.”
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Bradbury said, “It has been a great honour to have worked in this amazing business twice. The River Island team is incredible, and during the last two years we have achieved so much together to position the business for its next phase. I know that River Island will be in strong and capable hands under the experienced leadership of Ben.”
In addition to the leadership changes, River Island recently appointed Jane Eskriett and Richard Grainger as co-managing directors in September 2023, both of whom bring significant experience from Boohoo Group and Next, respectively.
Clive Lewis, Bernard Lewis’s son, will also return to his previous position as non-executive chair of the retailer, effective immediately.
He said “Richard steps down having made a strong impact on the business, and the board is extremely grateful for his leadership. With Ben’s deep history with River Island, there is no question that he is the right person to lead the company into its next chapter.”
The leadership transition comes after the embattled fashion retailer has made significant cost-saving measures in recent weeks, including job cuts at its London head office in January, after bringing in AlixPartners to assist with the restructuring process.
The job cuts impacted various departments, including buying, merchandising, and HR.
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