Matalan taps former H&M MD as new CEO

British fashion and homeware retailer Matalan has named Henrik Nordvall as its new chief executive officer, a role he will take up from February 2026.

Nordvall will succeed Karl-Heinz Holland, who stepped into the role of executive chair upon the departure of Jo Whitfield after she exited as CEO last year. Holland, who temporarily led the company while it searched for Whitfield’s replacement, will now return to his prior role as chair of the board.

Nordvall brings to Matalan 17 years of experience from Swedish retail giant H&M, where he most recently served as managing director for the UK and Ireland market. Here, he was responsible for overseeing revenues of 1.5 billion dollars, a press release stated.

Commenting on the appointment, Nordvall said he was thrilled to join Matalan, which is “on a very exciting journey”. “Together with the executive team, the board and the whole Matalan team, I look forward to taking the company into the future,” he added.

Holland, meanwhile, pointed to Nordvall’s significant UK retail leadership experience as proof of his potential to “continue Matalan’s strategic delivery”. He continued: “I have no doubt that he will add huge value across all areas of the business, complementing the experienced executive and leadership team.”

Nordvall joins Matalan amid the retailer’s ongoing transformation, through which it has set out to tighten costs, refresh its stores and strengthen its proposition. Such efforts appear to be paying off, evidenced in the retailer’s six month financial statement to August 30, 2025, in which it reported a re-IFRS16 EBITDA u 69 percent to 34 million pounds.