Richard Bradbury, executive chair of family-owned fashion retailer River Island, is stepping down from his role, citing personal reasons, the retailer conformed in a statement.
Photo: Sandra Halliday
Following the announcement of his departure, River Island also said Ben Lewis, who is related to founder and owner Bernard Lewis, will return to the position of CEO with immediate effect. Clive Lewis, the son of the founder, will also take on his previous role as non-executive chair with immediate effect.
Ben Lewis, who previously held the CEO position for nearly a decade before stepping down in 2019, said: “I am excited to be rejoining River Island at such a pivotal time.”
He added: “Richard has built a great team, and I look forward to working with them to continue to develop the business and capture the many opportunities ahead.”
Bradbury, who had served as its CEO until 2010, rejoining River Island in December 2022, added: “It has been a great honour to have worked in this amazing business twice. The River Island team is incredible, and during the last two years we have achieved so much together to position the business for its next phase. I know [it] will be in strong and capable hands under the experienced leadership of Ben.”
After swinging to a loss in 2023, River Island reportedly last month drafted in consultants from AlixPartners to focus on profit improvement.
