UK. Cruise retail specialist Harding+ has named Paul Cunningham as Global Director of Buying. He joins from the Morrisons-owned McColl’s convenience & news chain in the UK, where he was Retail Group Commercial Director. He was previously Co-op Director of Buying for Fresh and Chilled Foods, and responsible for the range planning, agriculture and technical teams.
Based at Harding+’s Bristol headquarters, he will report to CCO Matthew Hodges and will lead Harding+’s team of category buyers in the UK and Miami.
The company said he would bring experience of managing large and remote teams, growing and strengthening supplier relationships, and leading projects focused on innovation, merchandising and people development.
Harding+ CEO James Prescott said: “Paul’s track record of success, of broad and forward-thinking remits and large-scale budget responsibilities means he is a great hire to match our ambitions that are only heightened as we move into the Harding+ phase.
“He fits with our two-pronged people strategy that champions internal promotions alongside a mission to hire fresh thinkers from outside the industry to help expand all of our best practice thinking. We will all win at Harding+ with his depth of retail understanding on board.”
Cunningham added: “Everyone likes to be challenged in their career and I’m looking forward now to matching years of high street retail expertise and customer understanding with the ever growing cruise world of specialist thinking. My mission is to help Harding+ continue to innovate and deepen both partner satisfaction and opportunities for team growth.
“I like the clarity of the Harding+ strategy and the positive mentality it embodies, admire the ‘quaternity’ approach of listening to all parties at the core, and of course as Director of Buying I am looking forward to diving into the customer insight data that business has heavily invested in.”
As reported, Harding rebranded as Harding+ on the eve of TFWA World Exhibition, a signal of its business and cultural transformation.
