January 20, 2018
The chief executive of Currys PC World and Carphone Warehouse is leaving to join High Street chemist Boots.
Dixons Carphone confirmed the departure of its boss Sebastian James, just days before it reports its results for the Christmas period.
Last month, the firm warned of a sharp fall in profits because customers were not upgrading their phones enough.
Mr James, who has been at Dixons since 2008 and is a friend of David Cameron and George Osborne, will go in April.
He will be replaced as boss of the UK’s biggest specialist electronics chain by Alex Baldock, chief executive of online retailer Shop Direct.
Dixons Carphone, which employs over 42,000 people in nine countries, issued two profit warnings last year amid a slowdown in sales of new mobile handsets.
Its shares have fallen more than 40% in the last 12 months, as investors worried about the firm’s falling profits and a spending squeeze for UK shoppers.