New Year, new job certainly seems the maxim for three of the leading players in the retail fresh produce scene.
Marks & Spencer’s Andrew Sharp, Sainsbury’s Marcus Hoggarth and Waitrose’s Gordon Fairbrother are all making a move from the retail sector into the realm of the supplier.
Sharp, M&S’s technical manager for fruits, salads, vegetables, flowers & plants, is to leave the retailer for supplier Mack. Sharp, pictured above right, admits to being in his mid-40s, and is to take on the role of M&S business development director with Paddock Wood-based Mack.
The new, Kent-based position will see him working alongside all of Mack’s business units which deal with M&S, including DGM in Spalding.
“I’m really looking forward to the new job. I’ve been with M&S for 14 years and had some great times. The business is turning round and there are some exciting times ahead, it would be easy to stay on but this is a good opportunity to have a look at something that is going to stretch and interest me.
“I’m excited by the change in scenery, but emotional about leaving a company I have a huge amount of respect for.”
Meanwhile, Marcus Hoggarth, category manager for fruit at Sainsbury’s, has announced he will be leaving the retailer to take up a position with Cranswick, a meat manufacturer based in Yorkshire.
Hoggarth has been with Sainsbury’s for eight years: “I joined in 1998 full-time and started off on the meat side, before moving into the fruit category around four years ago,” he said, adding that he will be taking up his new role at the end of February.
Completing the series of moves, Gordon Fairbrother, Waitrose’s senior fruit buyer, is reported to be making the move to importer British & Brazilian, just purchased by Produce World (see above). He is expected to join the Waitrose supplier at the end of February/beginning of March as business development manager.
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