UK Edition
Topshop boss quits Philip Green's retail empire and jumps ship to head up The White Company
One of Sir Philip Green's key lieutenants is leaving her job running Topshop for the same job at The White Company. Mary Homer, who has been managing director of the fashion retailer for 11 years and has worked for the billionaire since 1987, is to replace outgoing White Company boss Will Kernan, who left in February to run online sports specialist Wiggle.
Sir Philip will now begin a search for a replacement for Ms Homer, who resigned a week ago but has yet to fix her departure date.
Although her exit is said by both sides to be entirely amicable it will still be viewed by some as a blow to the retailer, who has spent much of the last year caught up in the fall-out from the collapse of BHS and questions over its pension scheme.
Sir Philip last month agreed a deal to put £363m into the BHS pension scheme in an agreement with the Pensions Regulator.
Confirming her impending departure, the retail billionaire told The Daily Telegraph: "We've got to go and see if we can recruit a world champion. It's not going to be an internal appointment."
Asked what qualities he might be looking for, he said he would prefer a product specialist and "someone who has been part of the online revolution."
Her departure comes amid a string of resignations from the Arcadia empire. Burton's managing director Wesley Taylor, Topshop's retail director Craig McGregor and Yasmin Yusuf, Miss Selfridge's creative director, have all quit in recent months.
Ms Homer led the Topshop brand through a significant expansion, overseeing its push into the US and further afield. It now sells in 620 shops across some 35 countries, and is in the early stages of planning a roll out of 80 stores across China.
She began working for the retailer 30 years ago as a merchandiser, and worked her way up, taking the top job in 2006, in the wake of the departure of Jane Shepherdson. At the time some reports suggested Ms Shepherdson left over a row linked to Sir Philip signing a deal with model Kate Moss for a clothing line.
But Ms Shepherdson, who went on to run Whistles for ten years until last September, later dismissed the speculation as "absolutely not true."
Sir Philip said Ms Homer's exit was "perfectly friendly".
The outgoing Topshop boss said The White Company had a "clear vision and brand values" with "huge potential" to grow internationally and online.
The White Company was founded by entrepreneur Chrissie Rucker as a mail order catalogue business in March 1994 using £6,000 of inheritance from her grandmother.
It specialises in towels, bedding and other home products in neutral tones.
It has since grown to have more than 50 shops in the UK as well as concessions, but closed its shops in the Middle East last summer.
In the year to March 2026, The White Company made operating profits of £17.3m on sales of £184.3m.
"Yes it's smaller than Topshop but it's a very successful entrepreneurial company," said Ms Homer.
"Is there ever a right time to leave a company after 30 years? I don't know but this is it."
Sir Philip is due to publish accounts for his Arcadia group of retail companies, including Topshop, for the year to August 2016 in May.
For the year to August 2015, Arcadia generated profits of £214.3m on sales of £2.06bn.