The British fashion retailer New Look has named Lynda Petherick as its new chief executive officer, which represents a shift in leadership at a time when the company is experiencing its best financial results in over ten years. Helen Connolly will stay with the company until late September to make sure the transition goes smoothly before moving on to take up the post at Asda.
The appointment shows how confident New Look is in its future strategy since the company has been working to reinforce its position in the fiercely competitive fashion market. Petherick, who joined New Look in 2024 as Chief Information Officer, moved on quickly to become Chief Operating Officer before being given the top leadership role.
While she was with New Look, Petherick made a significant contribution to speeding up the retailer’s digital transformation. She was at the heart of the effort to make greater use of technology and customer data in order to improve decision-making and to enhance the shopping experience. As a result of her leadership the loyalty programme Club New Look has increased to over one million members, and the company also launched New Look Pulse, an internal customer insights and demand forecasting platform created to gain a better understanding of changing consumer preferences.
Prior to her role at New Look, Petherick was Managing Director at Accenture, where she provided leading retail and fashion companies with advice on digital transformation and commercial strategy. Moreover, she was a member of the board of the British Fashion Council and took part in the sustainability initiatives, including the establishment of the Circular Fashion Innovation Network.
In announcing the appointment, Mike Coupe, Chairman of New Look, praised Petherick for her commercial expertise, operational leadership and thorough understanding of both customers and the business. He stated that she had made a significant impact during her tenure as Chief Operating Officer and added that she is well placed to lead the retailer through the next stage of its growth.
Helen Connolly, who has been the company’s CEO, called her six years in the role a privilege and stated that she was proud of the progress New Look had made and confident regarding its future course.
The leadership change occurs in the context of improving financial results. For the 2026 financial year, New Look achieved an EBITDA of £36.6 million, which is a marked rise on the £14.3 million recorded the previous year. This improvement was due to better profit margins, more effective inventory management, disciplined markdown strategies and a reduced cost structure. The retailer has also seen a positive beginning to the new financial year, the first-quarter results having continued to exceed those of the previous year.
Digital growth is now one of the company’s most notable successes, online channels accounting for about 40 per cent of New Look’s total revenue and thus enabling the retailer to secure a position as one of the UK’s top online brands for women’s fashion while at the same time keeping its network of more than 300 stores.
The company has also benefited from increased customer engagement, as Club New Look members shop much more often and spend considerably more than non-members, underscoring how important loyalty programmes have become in today’s retail sector. At the same time, the New Look Pulse platform is helping the business make quicker and more accurate decisions regarding product planning, pricing, inventory management, and customer engagement by examining current consumer trends.
In the future, New Look has improved its financial position by refinancing its borrowing facilities and extending key maturities until 2029. Together with its better sales performance and ongoing investment in digital capabilities, the retailer believes it is in a good position to build on the momentum it generated in the past year.
