Marks & Spencer taps COS director to lead fashion, beauty and home retail

Marks & Spencer has announced the appointment of Paula Bricks as its new Fashion, Home & Beauty Retail Director, effective from November.

Bricks joins from H&M Group-owned fashion brand COS, where she has spent almost 19 years, most recently as Store Experience Director.

Bricks has a strong track record of transforming the store experience “to elevate standards and combine operational excellence with brand vision at scale”.

Before joining COS, Bricks spent over eight and a half years at H&M, starting out as Store Manager in June 1998 and culminating as Sales Manager in December 2006, successfully leading eight area teams across 250 stores.

She will play a critical role in M&S’s plans to reshape Fashion, Home & Beauty (FH&B) for growth. Working hand-in-glove with the FH&B leadership team and store operations, she will help transform and elevate the in-store experience for customers, ensuring a seamless end-to-end supply chain and supporting the shift from a multi-channel to an omnichannel offering.

Bricks will spend her first two months on induction in store, supporting M&S through peak trading before starting fully in her role in January 2026.

Phil Lyons, currently Head of Operations for FH&B, will be moving to Head of Retail Asset Protection from January, and Andrew McCurry will move from Head of Asset Protection & Safety to Head of Accuracy for Food and FH&B, reporting into Lyons.