Pets at Home Group Plc has announced the appointment of James Bailey as chief executive officer.

Bailey was most recently managing director of Waitrose, a position he held for over five years from April 2020. Prior to his appointment at Waitrose, he held a number of senior roles over 20 years at J Sainsbury plc.

Ian Burke has been appointed executive chair pending the arrival of Bailey as permanent CEO, and at that time will revert to the role of non-executive chair.

Burke commented: “On behalf of the board, I am delighted to announce the appointment of James Bailey as CEO of Pets at Home Group Plc.

“Following an extensive search process, the board believes James’ experience aligns well with the Group’s ambitions for the coming years. His strong retail leadership skills will support the ongoing focus on improving Pets at Home’s retail business, with significant operational and commercial experience leading both stores and online operations. My board colleagues and I very much look forward to working with him.”