Marks & Spencer appoints former Ikea retail head as stores director, West

British department store Marks & Spencer has appointed Marsha Smith to the role of stores director, West, a role she will be taking up after serving for 20 years within the Ikea Group.

Smith announced her new position on LinkedIn, where she shared a personal anecdote about her ties to Marks & Spencer, stating that the experience and “gorgeous range” always made family visits to the store “feel extra special”.

She continued: “Extremely lucky to have the opportunity to build further on the amazing work so far and to support continued growth by ensuring we delight every single customer. Excited for the chapter ahead…”

Smith most recently held the role of country deputy retail manager UK/IE at Ikea, a position she served in for almost three years after a variety of other titles she held of the duration of her time at the Swedish furniture giant.

Other positions included president of the Ikea Canada Partnership, Ireland market manager and Ikea Group store manager in Birmingham.