Christian Robinson, managing director of online gift seller Firebox.com , is stepping down after 10 years. Taking over the role is Paul Zimmerman, previously head of business development at Play.com.
Robinson is moving to work with his wife, Tiffany London, on her designer maternity label Tiffany Rose and will also stay on the Firebox board in an advisory role.
Robinson said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed the past 10 years helping build the Firebox.com business and feel very lucky to have had the privilege of working alongside such a talented team. I am confident that now is the right time to appoint a successor to help lead our business through its next phase of growth and am delighted that Paul has accepted our offer to join the company as our new MD.
“Paul is the perfect fit for us and his wealth of experience within e-commerce will be invaluable to Firebox.com and help accelerate our growth even further.”
Zimmerman, whose 11 years e-commerce experience also includes four years as head of Amazon.com’s music business unit, said: “I have been a customer and a huge fan of Firebox for many years – it’s such a fun, dynamic brand that is truly passionate about its customers. I am looking forward to working with the Firebox team and developing the brand as it continues to thrive.”
Michael Smith and Tom Boardman founded Firebox.com in 1998. It now sells via catalogue and online, and has moved out of its core market of toys for boys to focus on homewares and a broader gift market. That paid off when the company posted record results in the year to January 31 2010, with sales revenue of £12.7m and £1m profit before tax.
Michael Acton Smith, co-founder and chairman of Firebox, said: “Christian has been much more than a colleague over the years – he’s effectively been the third founder of Firebox and also a great friend to Tom and myself. His role will not be an easy one to fill, yet I believe Paul’s experience at two of the UK’s largest and most well known online retailers will be a fantastic asset to Firebox.”
