Willenhall, UK: AF Blakemore, the largest UK wholesaler to Spar, has appointed Carol Welch as its new chief executive.
She will join the business in April, succeeding Jerry Marwood who is leaving to spend more time on his non-executive directorships and consultancy roles.
Welch joins the business from the Odeon Cinemas group, where she is managing director UK & Ireland and commercial officer Europe. She brings experience from branded food and drink, retail, and foodservice, having held positions at Costa Coffee, Associated British Foods, Cadbury-Schweppes, and PepsiCo.
As well as the Spar retail and wholesale businesses, family-owned AF Blakemore operates across the foodservice, wholesale distribution, and fresh meat sectors alongside Philpotts, a chain of prepared-food stores.
