Marco van Niekerk

Retailer Incredible Connection will have a new CEO in July, when Marco van Niekerk takes over from David Miller, who left at the end of January.

Grattan Kirk, CEO of parent company JD Group, made the announcement to staff recently. Kirk also said David Jacobson would join the retailer as COO. Stefan Marnewick has been acting CEO for six months.

Van Niekerk joined the listed group in January 2012 to head up new business development for retail, and has worked in various industries, including services, wholesale, retail, imports, manufacturing and distribution.

“In the short time Marco [van Niekerk] has been with us, he has added enormous value to our DIY initiatives, as well as the group’s African expansion strategy,” said Kirk. Van Niekerk will continue to manage the new business development portfolio, as well as being responsible for Incredible Connection, he added.

Jacobson, a chartered accountant by profession, has spent his corporate career to date in the upper cash segment of the retail industry. He was CFO of furniture retailer Wetherlys, before joining the private equity consortium that bought Coricraft’s retail and manufacturing business.

As MD of Coricraft, Jacobson oversaw and managed the strategic turnaround of the brand, noted Kirk. In the seven years Jacobson worked for Coricraft, the store base grew from 13 to 34 stores.

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