River Island is aiming to build on its turnaround plan by reprising its customer director role as the retailer seeks to boost its CRM and CX strategy and drive deeper customer relationships.
SJ Grabiec (pictured, below) joins from AllSaints, where she spent the past 15 years, initially moving up from area manager to global customer experience manager; she served as global head of customer from February 2025. Prior to AllSaints, Grabiec was a sales manager at Debenhams for six years.
The retailer’s most recent customer director was Josie Cartridge, who held the role from 2016 to 2019; the job was specifically created for her after she spent five years as the brand’s marketing director.
Cartridge left in 2019 to join the Outnet.com as global marketing director; she is now marketing director of The White Company.
Following Cartridge’s departure, the brand leaned on alternative structures, including a combined digital and marketing director role and co-managing directors who absorbed high-level customer engagement strategies.
However, the role has now been reprised on the back of a major financial turnaround plan that has seen the company return to a pre-tax profit of £11.6m in 2025 following a near £125m loss, supported by £40m in new funding from Blue Coast Capital.
River Island’s first store opened in 1988, after being originally founded in 1948 under the Lewis and Chelsea Girl brand before being renamed.
It was one of the first big UK high street names to launch online in the late 1990s and now 40% of River Island’s revenue is generated from online sales, with ecommerce a critical driver for the brand’s revenue alongside its online partnerships with marketplaces like Marks & Spencer, ASOS, and Next.
Grabiec will lead the retailer’s customer marketing operations, including paid media, CRM and growth retention, as well as customer product, contact centres, CX and UX.
In a LinkedIn post, she said: “I’m genuinely the most grateful to AllSaints. It’s an incredible brand with incredible people. Leaving wasn’t easy, but I do so with a lot of respect, appreciation and love for the talent and people there, as well as everything I experienced and learned.
“I’m supported by three expert heads of department, and their strong operational and technical teams who are driving the customer and marketing vision.
“What’s stood out for me at River Island is the energy and ambition across the business, along with a real love for the brand. People genuinely care about it, and you can feel that straight away. It’s a great place to be, and I’m excited for what’s ahead.”
River Island’s most recent major brand campaign launched in June 2026 for its Spring/Summer 2026 collection. This followed a series of seasonal capsule and talent-fronted collections, including the recent River Island x Tolami Benson partnership that rolled out in May.
It has used a number of agencies in recent times, including St Luke’s and Studio Bvld for creative and Love Sugar Science and Manning Gottlieb OMD for media. Talon.One handles loyalty and promotional marketing.
Related stories
Consumers seek ‘little bundles of joy’ to fight off blues
Brits batten down hatches in return to Covid ‘cocooning’
Brands crave personalisation but marketers are too busy
Discerning Brits seek value, rewards and personalisation
UK shoppers want retailers to be ‘friends with benefits’
Be the first to comment on "River Island brings back top role to boost CRM and CX"