N Brown hires former Lego chief for new combined role

N Brown Group has overhauled its senior leadership structure by creating the role of trading and marketing director, appointing former Dreams and Lego chief Arfan Sabir to the job.

Sabir joins from global electronics distributor Avnet, where he has been vice president of ecommerce since 2022. He has also held senior posts at Hawes & Curtis and Mothercare.

In his new role Sabir will bring together N Brown’s trading and marketing functions for the first time as part of plans to “bring more integrated approach” to marketing and trading functions to “sharpen the group’s focus on commercial trading opportunities, elevate the customer experience and accelerate growth”, the business said.

In December 2024, N Brown combined the roles of sourcing and merchandising directors, held by Angela Gaskell and Matt Dawson, respectively, into one role of buying director, meanwhile in January it created the new role of chief customer operations officer.

The company’s brands include JD Williams, Jacamo, and Simply Be as well as “heritage brands” Fashion World, Home Essentials, Oxendales, Marisota, Ambrose Wilson and Premier Man.

N Brown chief executive of retail Dene Jones said: “The creation of the trading and marketing director role reflects our commitment to driving commercial excellence and delivering an outstanding customer experience.

“Arfan’s proven track record in omni-channel digital transformation and growth makes him the ideal person to lead this combined function, and we are excited to welcome him to the business.”

Sabir added: “Bringing trading and marketing together will ensure an even sharper focus on commercial trading opportunities, while delivering a cohesive and customer-focused approach that drives growth and strengthens the group’s market position.”