Key executives from Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments fashion businesses are leaving
More top-level executives from Solomon Lew’s fashion and apparel brands are leaving Premier Investments, just as Myer considers buying the businesses.
Key executives from the fashion and apparel brands that billionaire Solomon Lew is considering selling to Myer have left the business, raising concerns about what Myer will inherit if it goes ahead with the blockbuster deal.
The businesses, including the brands Just Jeans, Portmans and Dotti, have seen top managers depart in the last two years, while others resigned but are still serving long work out dates.
Many of the executives are seen as crucial to the success of the brands Myer is thinking of buying.
According to sources within both the Myer and Premier Investments camps, recent executive departures from Mr Lew’s retail apparel division include Dotti boss Deanna Moylan and Just Jeans head of product Louise Donnegan.
Other departures include head of Just Jeans Matt McCormack, head of Portmans Jade Wyatt and head of Jay Jays Linda Whitehead. The exodus of key management from Premier Investments’s retail apparel division comes as Myer executive chairman Olivia Wirth considers a bid for the businesses, which would see Myer take ownership of the fashion brands and more than 700 stores.
They follow the recent resignation and later sacking of Smiggle boss John Cheston, who was followed out the door by Smiggle’s global head of retail operations Chantelle Hayes, global marketing manager Emma Fulford and global head of sourcing and product Chelsea Brunsdon.
An internal staff email sent by Greg Chapelhow – the head of people and culture for Just Group, which owns the brands and is part of the Premier Investments group – confirmed to staff that the three Smiggle senior executives had tendered their resignations and would leave the business in June 2025.
This week Mr Lew announced the planned Smiggle demerger would now be delayed as Premier Investments considers selling the retail apparel brands to Myer. Smiggle was set to demerge from Premier Investments as early as January, and the sleepwear brand Peter Alexander was also set to demerge next year.
However, some insiders are concerned that while Myer will inherit very strong fashion brands it will face gaps in the executive ranks in the important roles of brand development, product sourcing and strategy.
Billionaire Mr Lew has confirmed to The Australian that Mr McCormick, the head of Just Jeans, resigned two and half years ago. However, it is believed he only left the business in May 2023 after serving out his notice. Mr Lew also confirmed Portmans boss Ms Wyatt had resigned and was currently serving her two year notice period, and Jay Jays boss Ms Whitehead had also left the company.
It is believed Ms Whitehead departed in December 2023, Ms Moylan is set to leave the company in June next year and Ms Donnegan will leave in January.
A spokeswoman for Premier declined to comment further on the departures or confirm the departure dates as executives worked out their notice periods.
A spokesman for Myer declined to comment as the department store remains in due diligence to possibly buy the Premier Investments’s retail apparel brands.
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