White Stuff's Ridler takes over at Jacques Vert owner as Wills exits

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 19, 2017

Out with the old, in with the new. Peter Ridler has moved from his role at White Stuff and has taken over at the helm of Calvetron, the firm that now owns Dash, Jacques Vert, Precis and Windsmoor after CEO Shaun Wills has stepped down.

It’s the latest change in what has been a turbulent years for the brands. Wills took the top job at Calvetron Brands as it acquired the troubled Style Group Brands in June in a pre-pack administration deal.

He now hands over to an experienced executive who was formerly Monsoon Accessorize managing director before spending two years at White Stuff as business development director.

Wills had joined Style Group Bands two years ago as CFO and became CEO last year, not long before the firm went into administration. He ran Calvetron for just four months.

The long-established labels were rescued by a consortium backed by ex-Jaeger owner Harold Tillman along with Sandeep Vyas and Haseeb Aziz, saving over 1,000 jobs.

Tillman said this week: “During his 18 months as CEO [of Style then Calvetron], Shaun and his team have worked tirelessly to re-establish the positioning of each of the four brands, developing new, more appealing product, restructuring the business for today’s requirements and, latterly, delivering the sale of the business into new ownership. He leaves with our thanks and our very best wishes for his future success.”

Meanwhile Aziz said that Ridler’s “extensive omnichannel international expertise, and his experience operating as CEO for a number of retail businesses, will further support the business in its growth strategy.” He added that he is “confident that with a robust strategy in place and a strong and passionate team, Calvetron Brands has a significant opportunity for growth over the coming years.”