Fortnum & Mason says Tom Athron will become its next boss

Upmarket retailer Fortnum & Mason has appointed Matchesfashion’s Tom Athron as its next chief executive.

The firm, known for its  Piccadilly flagship and luxury hampers, said Athron, who has been chief operating officer at luxury clothing firm Matchesfashion since 2018, will join the company on December 1.  

That allows for a month’s handover with Ewan Venters, who leaves Fortnum’s in January 2021.

The appointment comes after it emerged in September that Venters, who has been boss of Fortnum & Mason since 2012, was set to leave the company and join international gallery Hauser & Wirth as its chief executive.