Home improvement retailer Kingfisher PLC (LON:KGF) said on Friday, the head of its French unit is stepping down after struggling to revive the poor-performing business.
Mark Tenart will be succeeded as the boss of the French division – which includes the Castorama and Brico Depot stores – by Christian Mazauric, the chief executive of Kingfisher’s B&Q business in the UK & Ireland.
READ: Hot weather boosts sales at B&Q owner Kingfisher in second quarter
Mazauric, who has been at Kingfisher for 17 years, will take over the reins on October 1.
The announcement comes ahead of Kingfisher’s first-half results on September 19, which is expected to show another weak performance at Castorama.
In a trading update in August, Kingfisher said like-for-like sales at Castorama dropped 3.8%, offsetting a 2.6% rise at Brico Depot to bring overall sales in France down 1%.
In the UK and Ireland division, like-for-like sales increased 4.2%, including 3.6% growth at B&Q and a 5.5% gain at Screwfix, as customers stocked up on barbecues and other outdoor items during the hot weather.
Kingfisher is in the third quarter of a five-year restructuring that involves simplifying operations, cutting costs, improving its online offering and unifying product ranges across brands.