Sainsbury’s has appointed a senior manager from high street retailer Next as part of its drive to expand its £2bn non-food business this year.
According to reports by The Times, Claire Sollis, general manager of homewares operations at Next, has been hired to help bolster the company’s own home and lifestyle department.
Sainsburys recently announced plans to double the size of its non-food business by 2010, with half of the group’s new store space in the next two years being given over to clothing, furniture, entertainment and kitchen appliances .
Sainsbury’s director of general merchandise and global sourcing, commented: “It’s a tough market, but there are big opportunities for growth. We can take advantage of the amount of people in our stores and the value we offer.”
Jones added that Sainsbury’s will launch a series of new non-food ranges this autumn, along with the expected re-launch of its non-food internet business .
The Times reports that Sainsbury’s, Britain’s third largest supermarket chain, remains behind its larger rivals – Tesco and Asda – on non-food sales . However, its TU clothing range, which launched in 2004, is forecast to record annual sales of £300million this year.
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