Superdry boss Shaun Wills ousted for going bankrupt

Founder and chief creative officer Julian Dunkerton has replaced Wills with Nick Wharton

The high street fashion chain behind Superdry has been forced to sack its finance director, Shaun Wills, after he was declared bankrupt.

He is understood to have been in dispute over an unpaid tax bill and filed papers for bankruptcy with the High Court two weeks ago.

He told bosses at SuperGroup yesterday, and was swiftly removed from his position. The group’s founder and chief creative officer, Julian Dunkerton, has replaced Mr Wills with Nick Wharton, the former chief executive of homewares retailer Dunelm, on a temporary basis.

Despite filing for bankruptcy, Mr Wills, who turns 43 on Saturday, took home £509,000 last year and £418,000 in 2013, according to SuperGroup’s annual report. He also splashed out £1.27m on Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall’s former home in Cheltenham two years ago.

SuperGroup, which produces fashion line Superdry, has had a handful of upheavals in the boardroom in recent months.

Its chief operating officer Susanne Given, who joined alongside Mr Wills in 2012, left earlier this month, following the arrival of new chief executive Euan Sutherland, after Mr Dunkerton decided to step back from day to day management to take on a more creative role.

It is understood that Mr Wills will not be given a severance package.