Photo: Jaeger

Tuesday 14th January 2014

Move of the Month: 12/13

HR change specialist Liz Jewitt-Cross joins Jaeger – and sales magically leap by 23%

Time to tip an elegantly designed cap to Liz Jewitt-Cross, who has just taken over as HRD of hitherto ailing High Street retailer Jaeger. Even though she’s only been there about three minutes, she’s already helping to oversee a substantial improvement in the brand’s sales figures.

Jewitt-Cross (or JC, as we shall call her, fully cognisant of the fact that particular abbreviation is often employed elsewhere) joined in December after tenures at fashion outlets such as Joules, Fenn Wright & Manson and Aurora. And no sooner had she slipped her manicured feet under the table than the figures for Jaeger leapt up: not least a City-wettingly astronomical 23% leap in like-for-like sales for the final quarter of 2013.

Perhaps most satisfyingly for the management team, this included a dramatic hoick of 57% in online sales.

How does she Jewitt?

JC is a bit of dab-hand when it comes to HR roles that require the delivery of significant change. Her LinkedIn profile cites proficiency in M&A, business integration, start-ups and turnarounds.

All of which must have been hugely tempting to Jaeger, which is under the ownership of Better Capital and currently narrowing losses as part of a five year turnaround plan.

We’d like to wish JC well, and hope those figures continue heading in a similar direction for the foreseeable.

About the author

Andrew Baird

Andrew is the CEO of HRville. He is also Employer Brand Director of Blackbridge Communications, Editorial Director of Professionals in Law and an associate of The Smarty Train. Previously, he was the MD of TCS Advertising.