Bill Grimsey is stepping down as chief executive at Focus to become chairman at the DIY chain.


Managing director Rob Gladwin will take over as chief executive, with two new faces being drafted in to beef up the management team.

Chris Morgan, finance director at Tesco in the Czech Republic is joining as chief financial officer, replacing Andrew Unitt on June 21.

Brian Robbins is taking the role of chief commercial officer responsible for trading and marketing. Mr Robbins previously held vice-president roles in merchandising and sourcing at Home Depot.

Mr Gladwin, who has been at Focus since 2008, was previously managing director of Travis Perkins' Benchmarx business, and retail operations director at Wickes prior to that. Mr Grimsey called Mr Gladwin "a talented retail leader who is ready for the challenges ahead in the next phase of the recovery."

Mr Grimsey, who recently oversaw a CVA to dispose of the retail chain's non-trading stores and save the company from collapse, said: "Good progress has been made in the last two and half years against very difficult economic conditions. We have managed to survive the recession and create a new look Focus for future development."

Speaking to DIY Week, Mr Grimsey said that, going forward, the changes would put the company in a better position to expand and reformat its stores.

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