BP has hired former M&S franchise boss David Phillpot as its new convenience trading director for Europe.
Starting this week, the oil company said he would play “a pivotal role in driving performance and convenience retail growth across BP’s European network of over 3,000 company-owned stores”.
Phillpot will also help to maximise its “strategic grocery partnerships” with retailers such as M&S in the UK, Albert Heijn in the Netherlands, Auchan in Poland and Rewe in Germany.
He joins BP with 25 years of experience in food retail roles. In his most recent role as franchise director at M&S, he led relationships and commercial plans with M&S franchise partners, including BP.
Prior to that, he held the position of trading director of convenience food at M&S, overseeing key categories including ready meals, food on the move and desserts.
“BP’s emphasis on supporting its customers through the energy transition, by providing the fuels they need today and tomorrow, underscores the pivotal role of convenience in BP’s offer,” said Phillpot.
“With ambitious growth plans in convenience retailing and EV charging across Europe, joining the business at such a transformative phase promises an exciting opportunity to drive growth and performance in the rapidly evolving mobility and convenience sector. I am excited to begin this next chapter of my career, meeting teams, partners, and customers across Europe.”
Jo Hayward, VP for convenience in Europe at BP, to whom Phillpot will report, said: “We are delighted to welcome David to BP as we continue to deliver our exciting growth ambitions for our convenience retail business. With a proven track record of delivering outstanding results at M&S, David brings valuable expertise to our team. I cannot wait for him to get started.”
Convenience is one of BP five transition growth engines, along with EV charging, hydrogen, bioenergy, and renewables and power. By 2030, BP aims to double its convenience gross margin, targeting 10% year-on-year growth and an increase in its number of strategic convenience sites globally to more than 3,500.
Phillpot is the latest recruit from the retail sector, following Claire Farrant as VP marketing from Lidl and Joanne Hall as UK retail operations director from Sainsbury’s.
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