Parfetts has announced that Cheryl Hope is joining the employee-owned business as trading director, joining the business from Unitas, where she led the trading team for three years.
Cheryl will report to the joint managing directors, Noel Robinson and Guy Swindell. She brings plenty of experience to the role, having already held senior positions at AF Blakemore & Son, BAKO Northwestern, Iceland and Co-op.
Hope said of the appointment: “Parfetts has a fantastic reputation with retailers, suppliers and the wider industry. It’s great to join the team and support the national expansion plans through strong, collaborative supplier relationships. The employee-ownership model of the company sets it apart, and you can feel the difference when you meet people from across the business. It’s exciting times ahead.”
Guy Swindell, joint managing director, said: “Cheryl is a hugely experienced professional with a fantastic understanding of the sector. She’s ideally placed to support our ambitious growth plans and take our focus on supporting retailer margins to the next level.”
Meanwhile, Unitas Wholesale managing director John Kinney said: “While Unitas is naturally disappointed to be losing Cheryl, who has led the trading team for more than three years, we’re incredibly proud of the achievements made during her tenure, and we’re pleased that Cheryl will remain within the Unitas group, as she takes on the role of trading director at Parfetts - one of our largest members who we know have ambitious expansion plans - located closer to her hometown.”
The news follows the recent announcement of Parfetts’ ninth depot in Southampton. The wholesaler is creating 100 jobs there as it prepares to open the new 113,000 sq.ft. depot later this summer. The former trading director at Parfetts, Gurms Athwal, left the business in April.
No comments yet