Is Asda's George targeting Fat Face boss to lead brand?

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jul 28, 2021

Asda’s new private equity owners have reportedly approached the boss of Fat Face to run its George clothing operation as they revamp the supermarket chain’s leadership due to Asda's CEO being set to leave and the George MD having exited this year.

That’s according to Sky News, which said it has learnt that Liz Evans is a “leading candidate” to run George. She’s been at the helm of Fat Face since 2018.

The search for a new George boss after previous MD Steph Strike left underlines the private equity owners’ commitment to George. There had been earlier speculation that they might consider selling the operation after buying Asda earlier this year.

But George is the UK’s largest clothing retailer by volume and while Asda has never broken out individual results for the label, news that Sainsbury’s Tu Clothing sales continue to grow fast shows just how important fashion arms are for UK supermarkets.

George’s volume share of UK clothing isn’t matched by its value as its prices are vey low, but it’s still the UK's third-biggest clothing retailer by value with a 5.5% share behind Next and M&S.

If Evans does join, she’ll bring experience not only from Fat Face but from Oasis, Warehouse and M&S too.