George’s owner Asda makes key e-commerce choice

Asda-owned fashion brand George has boosted its digital ambitions with the appointment of David Devany as vice president of e-commerce.

The budget supermarket giant, whose George brand is currently enjoying strong demand both online and in-store, sees Devany joining Asda’s digital team “to deliver on its long-term growth strategy”.

He joins us from Iceland Foods, where he has held the position of Group Chief Customer, Marketing and Digital Officer since 2020. However, the start date has not yet been announced.

He brings with him over 25 years of experience in e-commerce, digital solutions and marketing and will focus on growing Asda’s presence in the competitive online marketplace across all categories.

Commenting on the appointment, Asda co-owner Mohsin Issa said: “As we continue to strengthen our senior leadership team… David has significant experience and a proven track record in retail across the UK, Europe and the US. David’s remit will span our entire e-commerce business and his appointment will play an important role.”

Devany added: “It’s an exciting time to join the team… given Asda’s already making great strides in e-commerce.”

He will report to Matt Kelleher, the company’s new chief digital officer, who joined from rival supermarket Morrisons this month to oversee its e-commerce and data functions.

While Asda reported record online grocery sales of £3.2 billion in 2023, increasing its share of the grocery market to 20.8%, its revived fashion and lifestyle brand George also ended a strong six-month trading period with “explosive growth” both online and in stores.

George’s online sales grew by 13.4% in the 24 weeks to 3 March, outperforming the market result of +2.1% reported by Kantar. This success was supported by trend-leading coverage from sub-brand G21, supported by leading influencer Sophie Piper.