Matalan had big news Tuesday with the announcement of Henrik Nordvall’s appointment as its new CEO, although the fashion and homewares retailer said he won’t be joining until February next year.
Henrik Nordvall
He’s been country manager/CEO at H&M UK and Ireland for just over three years and Matalan said he “brings a wealth of apparel retail experience”, having spent the last 17 years at the Swedish giant. The UK is the third-largest market for H&M.
Matalan has been led by executive chair Karl-Heinz Holland since October last year when CEO Jo Whitfield, who took the helm of the company just 18 months before, exited the business.
He’ll return to his position as chair of the board in February 2026 when the new chief executive joins.
The company also said Nordvall’s appointment follows a strong first-half performance for the business, with pre-IFRS16 EBITDA up 69% to £34 million in the six months to 30 August 2025.
This was driven by margin expansion “alongside a tight focus on costs, as the business continues to deliver on its strategic initiatives including its store refresh programme”. Importantly, those upgraded stores have been outperforming the rest of the estate by 14%.
Nordvall has clearly enjoyed his time as H&M and said on LinkedIn: “17 years ago, fresh out of university, I joined a company I have deeply and fundamentally loved working for.… It has been a true honour to work for H&M all these years.”
And in the Matalan statement announcing his new role, he added: “I am thrilled to join Matalan as the new CEO. [It] is on a very exciting journey on delivering everyday style, quality and value to their customers and I am excited to start contributing to the business.”
