Otto Group: Leading home furnishings retailer Crate and Barrel announces change in its top leadership

Northbrook, IL, 8-8-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — Today (August 6, 2014), leading home furnishings retailer Crate and Barrel announces a change in its top leadership. Following the recent resignation of CEO Sascha Bopp, the company’s COO and CFO Adrian Mitchell has assumed interim leadership of the company.

A search is underway to fill the role vacated by Mr. Bopp. This position will concentrate on supporting the company’s evolving business strategy and include a deepened focus on the customer experience and growth in the digital space.

Adrian Mitchell joined Crate and Barrel as CFO in 2010 and was promoted to COO in February of 2014. During his tenure, Mr. Mitchell’s responsibilities have expanded to include Global Supply Chain Operations, Real Estate, International Retail and eCommerce Operations. Mr. Mitchell came to Crate and Barrel from Target Corporation, where he served as Director of Strategy and Interactive Design, overseeing the brand’s eCommerce customer experience and store integration. He also held the post of Director of Innovation and Productivity for Target Corporation, leading efforts to improve store experience. Mr. Mitchell began his career at McKinsey & Company, Inc., where he spent eight years as a retail consultant, working with companies around the globe.

Hans-Otto Schrader, CEO of Otto Group, the Crate and Barrel parent company, and Chairman of the Crate and Barrel Board of Directors, commented, “For more than 50 years, Crate and Barrel has been a trusted home furnishings brand for customers around the globe. We remain focused on Crate and Barrel’s core strengths of great design, value and customer service, and are confident in the executive team’s ability to lead us into the future.”

Added Adrian Mitchell, “With a long history of careful management and growth, Crate and Barrel is well positioned for international and domestic expansion. Our executive team also looks forward to exploring new opportunities for innovation and improving our customer experience, especially in the digital space.”

OTTO GROUP
Founded in Germany in 1949, today the Otto Group is a globally operating retail and services group with around 54,257 employees (as at February 2014). The Group includes 123 major companies and is present in over 20 countries in Europe, North and South America and Asia. Its business activities are grouped into three segments: Multichannel Retail, Financial Services and Service. In the 2013/14 financial year (to 28 February) the Otto Group generated turnover of 12 billion euros. It is the world’s second-largest online retailer in the end-consumer (B2C) business and Europe’s largest online retailer in the end-consumer B2C fashion and lifestyle business. E-commerce, catalogue sales and over-the-counter retail form the three pillars of the Otto Group’s Multichannel Retail strategy. Its worldwide corporate activities, numerous strategic partnerships and joint ventures provide the Otto Group with excellent opportunities to transfer know-how and leverage areas of synergy potential. Group companies operate largely independently, guaranteeing flexibility, customer proximity and optimum target-group appeal in their respective national markets.

MEDIA CONTACT

Thomas Voigt
Phone: +49 40 64614010
Fax: +49 40 64614490
thomas.voigt@ottogroup.com

Robert Hägelen
Phone: +49 40 64613129
Fax: +49 40 64614490
robert.haegelen@ottogroup.com