Duvet & Pillow Warehouse has made a headline-grabbing hire with the appointment of Sir Stuart Rose as its chairman.
Sir Stuart, previously of M&S and currently chairman of businesses including Ocado and Dressipi, will help guide the seven-year-old business through a rebrand to become Soak & Sleep and towards a £50m turnover target from its current £12m a year.
Duvet & Pillow Warehouse was founded by Charlie Hunt in 2007, when it turned over £64,000. Since then it has grown by 50% a year for the past four years, capitalising on prices that it says are typically 40% lower than high street competitors. Today it employs 19 people at its Guildford headquarters.
Sir Stuart said he had been impressed by DAPW’s focus “on developing products using the highest quality materials, their outstanding customer service and competitive pricing, as a result of cutting out waste and compressing the supply chain.”
He added: “This was a business opportunity which presented me with the chance to add real value and improvement to help turn the brand into a £50m business.”
Hunt said: “The support of one of the UK’s most respected retailers provides a big vote of confidence for Duvet & Pillow Warehouse and we’re thrilled to have access to Stuart’s considerable expertise. Stuart will work closely with me to develop tighter processes and develop our brand strategy. At present we’ve positioned Duvet and Pillow Warehouse as a disruptive business in a sleepy sector. Working with Stuart, we aim to capitalise on our first-mover advantage in order to become the online destination for everything bed and bath.”