Liberty names Lydia King as group buying and merchandising director

British department store Liberty has announced the appointment of Lydia King as its new group buying and merchandising director. King confirmed the news on her LinkedIn page, where she stated that she was “thrilled to accept a permanent role in the Liberty team”.

Prior to the appointment, King had been serving as interim buying director for the retailer since December 2023. She joined Liberty from Harrods, where she had been fashion and buying director for almost two and a half years.

She had also held a range of increasingly senior positions at Selfridges over the course of 13 years, first starting out as womenswear RTW buying manager before later becoming womenswear buying and merchandising director.

Speaking to various media outlets, Liberty said King’s appointment was part of efforts to “unify and strengthen” its buying and merchandising division. As such, she has been tasked with enhancing brand partnerships and helping to accelerate growth.

In her own statement, Sarah Coonan, Liberty retail managing director, said the move represented a “strategic shift forward for Liberty” as it continues to build its retail business and cement its position “as a thought leader in the industry”.