South African retailer Woolworths Holdings is restructuring its Australian operations to create a single regional corporate structure combining the David Jones and Country Road businesses.
Woolworths, which is not related to the Australian supermarket giant, on Friday said David Jones chief executive John Dixon will take over as chief executive of WHL Australasia from September 1, with responsibility for all the group's Australasian operations.
He will lead a team of regional executives, with Country Road chief executive Scott Fyfe and managing directors of David Jones Food and David Jones Clothing and General Merchandise reporting to him.
Country Road's chief operating officer Sacha Laing will leave the business.
Woolworths Holdings chief executive Ian Moir said the creation of a single regional structure "is the logical next step for our business".
"It enables the benefits and synergies of the Australian acquisitions to be fully realised and allows the creation of a single team and culture focussed on our Australian customers and driving improved shareholder returns for the WHL Group," he said.
The group's department store business David Jones last month reported comparable sales growth of 0.5 per cent during the six months to December 25.
The Country Road Group, which houses the Country Road, Trenery, Witchery and Mimco brands, was hurt by intense discounting from the mid-market retailers with sales dipping 0.9 per cent.
