Ocado to name Tatton-Brown as finance chief
DUNCAN TATTON-BROWN, the former finance boss of debt-laden gym chain Fitness First, is this week set to be named as the new finance director of online supermarket Ocado.
Tatton-Brown was fired along with other top Fitness First executives in February as part of a radical boardroom shake-up by the troubled gym group’s private equity backers, BC Partners.
Before spending a tumultuous two years at Fitness First, he spent 14 years working as a finance chief at DIY chain B&Q, its parent Kingfisher and Virgin Entertainment. Tatton-Brown is also a non-executive director at Rentokil Initial.
He will replace Andrew Bracey, who quit to join the recruitment specialist Michael Page International earlier this year, a source close to the situation told City A.M.
The online grocer hopes to finalise details of the appointment in time to announce it at its half-year results tomorrow, when it is expected to announce earnings before interest, tax, interest, depreciation and amortisation of around £15m, up slightly from £14.3m the previous year.
Sales are expected to have grown from £277m to £332m.
The group, which mainly delivers Waitrose products, is also expected to detail plans to grow its non-food offering as it looks to distance itself from the upmarket grocer.