After Venu Nair, it’s James Munson for M&S India

Since the time Venu Nair, MD, Marks & Spencer Reliance India has stated that he is leaving the company to join Tata’s retail venture Trent as the Chief Commercial Officer, a guessing game was on on who will be the next MD of M&S India. Experts predicted the company might think of some alternatives in its Indian arm only, as the complexities of the market here demand a local intervention.

As predicted, M&S has appointed a company loyalist, though not Indian but he knows the nitty gritty of woking in a diverse nation like India. He is James Munson, the ex-retail head of M&S. He will commence his new role in May and will be responsible for growing Marks & Spencer’s joint venture business in India with Reliance Retail.

Munson joined Marks & Spencer in the UK in 2006 as an experienced manager from The British Home Store (BHS) and has over 20 years of retail experience. He shifted to India in 2011, as India retail head of Marks & Spencer Reliance including responsibilities for supply chain and visual merchandise. In 2014, Munson left India with a bigger role as he was appointed MD of the Czech Group with responsibility for 48 stores in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia.

With 57 stores across 27 cities, India has the highest number of Marks & Spencer stores in the world outside the UK. The company, which opened its first store in India in 2001, signed a joint venture with Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Retail to form Marks & Spencer Reliance India in April 2008. The apparel retailer is also expanding its online reach through fashion platforms Myntra, AJIO and, most recently, Amazon.

Marks & Spencer Reliance India’s sales rose 16 per cent to Rs 714.3 crores in the financial year ended March 2016 from Rs 617.13 crores in the previous fiscal. Net loss narrowed in FY16 from the previous year.