Rodney Fitch & Co looks to e-commerce

Rodney Fitch & Co is to begin moving into e-commerce and the European market, following the internal restructure of the group’s board last week (DW 6 August).

Four senior staff, Neil Whitehead and Alan Thompson from Fitch, former Addison founder Steve Smith and corporate investor Pieter Totté, are joining the group. According to chairman Rodney Fitch, the appointments form part of a restructure planned after the design group’s split from Virgin and Wickens Tutt Southgate (DW 16 April).

“We will use these appointments to take us into three areas: e-commerce for design, financial services and the leisure market,” says Fitch.

The same restructure appears to have pre-empted the departure of managing director Chris Jenkins two weeks ago (DW 30 July).

“Neil [Whitehead] will be responsible for guiding the business into new areas of brand consultancy and overseeing the move into e-commerce. Alan [Thompson] will be responsible for growing the group’s leisure portfolio. Steve [Smith] becomes deputy chairman, in charge of corporate development, and Pieter [Totté] will oversee financial and administrative issues and has contacts in Europe,” adds Fitch.