Katharine Challinor, former head of retail at Allwyn, will join Morrisons next month as head of independent franchising and new business.
Challinor replaces Nick Russell, who is leaving after three years, as Morrisons’ head of independent franchising and new business. In his new role, he will be responsible for supporting Morrisons’ franchise partners.
Before joining Allwyn, Katharine Challinor held senior roles at the Post Office, including director of retail design. From 2015 to 2017, he was the manager of the coffee shop at Sainsbury’s.
The appointment as Morrisons’ head of independent franchising and new business comes at a time when the company is focusing on improving the support and service it offers to its franchise partners.
Morrisons is doubling its ambient distribution center and has started receiving fresh inbound deliveries direct from suppliers to improve the consistency and freshness of products available to retailers.
“We are delighted to welcome Katharine to our team as we continue to support new and existing franchise partners,” said Morrisons convenience director Paul Dobson.
“His extensive experience in this industry makes him a great addition to our team and we will be introducing him properly to our franchise partners once he is fully on board.”
Challinor added: “I’ve always been passionate about helping grocers grow sales and the vital role they play in local communities, so I’m excited to be joining the Morrisons team and look forward to meeting retailers soon.”
