Former Kingfisher boss Mulcahy joins board of Brown & Jackson

Sir Geoff Mulcahy is returning to the quoted arena two years after being muscled out of Kingfisher. He was appointed yesterday as a non-executive director of Brown & Jackson, the owner of the Poundstretcher discount chain.

Sir Geoff Mulcahy is returning to the quoted arena two years after being muscled out of Kingfisher. He was appointed yesterday as a non-executive director of Brown & Jackson, the owner of the Poundstretcher discount chain.

Sir Geoff, 62, who spent 20 years at Kingfisher, is one of a trio of non-executive directors joining the board of B&J, which is run by Angus Monro.

For Mr Monro, hiring Sir Geoff is a role reversal: the pair first crossed paths when the former Kingfisher chief executive employed Mr Monro as B&Q's trading director in 1994. "I've been a great fan of Geoff for years. I know that with his knowledge of retailing he will add a tremendous amount to B&J," Mr Monro said. He admitted that it had taken him "three to six months" to persuade Sir Geoff to take the job.

John Richards, the former Deutsche Bank retail analyst, and John Gnodde, of South Africa's Brait, were appointed alongside Sir Geoff. Mr Richards, 58, has run a retail consultancy for the past four years, advising the likes of Philip Green and Boots, while Brait is indirectly an investor in B&J, providing financing to the group's biggest shareholder, Tradehold.

Since Kingfisher's chairman Francis Mackay forced Sir Geoff to retire earlier than he had planned, the retailer has kept a low profile. The closest he came previously to returning to the City was to take a boardroom seat at James Hull Associates, a chain of dental practices. But the company's attempts to float failed. Sir Geoff also chairs Javelin Group, a retail consultancy.

Analysts said B&J's new directors would help to shore up confidence in the retail group, which issued a profits warning in January. Shares in B&J rose 5.35p to 52p. The group said yesterday that it was on track to meet reduced market expectations for the year to 26 February.