In The Style appoints Perkins CEO, founder Frisby to take on new creative role

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Nov 14, 2021

Big appointments for In The Style Group as the digital women’s fashion retailer adds key executive posts to lead its expansion.

Headlining is Sam Perkins’ appointment as new group chief executive to take over from founder Adam Frisby. The founder steps into the newly-created position of chief brand officer when Perkins joins on 17 January.

In The Style, which operates under a successful innovative influencer collaboration model, said the appointments “will enable the group to deliver the next stages of long-term growth ambitions and achieve the brand’s significant potential”.

Having led the company for the last seven years, including through its successful IPO earlier this year, Frisby will maintain an executive director, taking on responsibility for developing the group’s influencer partnerships, product design, and spearheading the brand’s creative direction.

Meanwhile, Perkins joins with a “successful and proven track record of delivering strategic and commercial success across multichannel and pureplay retailers”.

He arrives from The Very Group, where he has held the role of managing director of the group’s retail division since 2018 “helping to drive the company’s transformation from a multi-brand catalogue business to a fast-paced pureplay retailer”. In 2021, its retail division recorded revenues of more than £1.9 billion. 

Prior to joining The Very Group in 2015 as group merchandising director, Perkins held various leadership roles at Tesco and senior roles at Nestlé and PepsiCo.
 
Jim Sharp, non-executive chairman, said: “Not only is Sam a truly outstanding candidate with a proven track record of delivering transformational growth at some of the UK’s best-known retail brands, but his appointment as CEO will also enable Adam to focus his energy and talent on the newly created role.”

Frisby also said: “Not only does [Perkins] have a fantastic track record at some amazing retail businesses, but it’s also clear that we share a common vision for the future of In The Style.

“With the scale of the business that we are today, and with the many growth opportunities we have to go after, I felt that now is the right time to further strengthen our senior management team. 

“Sam brings relevant experience of scaling up very successful retail brands and his appointment will enable me to focus on the areas of the business where the board and I believe I can make the biggest contributions to our future success.”