Andrew Keith Named Managing Director of Selfridges & Co.

LONDON — Andrew Keith is joining Selfridges & Co. as managing director, WWD has learned.

Keith was most recently president of Lane Crawford and Joyce in Hong Kong, a role he took up in 2011. He is returning to the U.K. after 25 years in the region.

He will join Selfridges in February, and report to Anne Pitcher, managing director of Selfridges Group.

An announcement is expected today.

Pitcher oversees the retailer’s businesses in the U.K., Europe and Canada, and had also been serving, ad interim, as managing director of Selfridges & Co. following the exit of Simon Forster in 2019.

“With Andrew’s knowledge and experience in creating exciting physical and digital destinations and of successfully leading a 170-year-old business in a rapidly changing market, we can look forward to exploring new opportunities under his leadership as we continue to reinvent retail,” Pitcher said.

Keith said Selfridges offers “inspiring and creative destinations that openly welcome everyone through its doors and online. Selfridges’ commitment to people and planet aligns to my own values, and I look forward to partnering with the team to deliver exceptional destinations and experiences for our own customers.”

In addition to Selfridges, the group includes Brown Thomas and Arnotts in Ireland, Holt Renfrew in Canada and de Bijenkorf in the Netherlands.

Keith joined Lane Crawford in 2001, and during his tenure as president, he spearheaded the store’s move to omnichannel and led its expansion in mainland China with flagship openings in Shanghai in 2013 and Chengdu in 2014, on top of its original Beijing location.

He oversaw more than 20 Lane Crawford and Joyce stores. A retail veteran, one of his early jobs was designing men’s sport jackets and suits for Marks & Spencer.

“I don’t have an MBA, and I don’t come from a legal background. I come from products, marketing and selling,” he told WWD in a recent interview. “Clearly, the future of retail and luxury is one where digital and physical are going to continue to fuse.”

Last month, Jennifer Woo, chairman and chief executive officer of The Lane Crawford Joyce Group, said that Keith had played “an extremely pivotal role in one of the most defining eras of transformation and growth in the histories of both Lane Crawford and Joyce. He was integral to delivering a new vision for Lane Crawford in 2004, defined by Asia’s most extensive fashion portfolio and a new retail experience,” Woo said.

Woo described him as “an inspirational leader to our teams, a great champion of talent and of luxury craftsmanship, a trusted partner and a driver of change within the industry.”

Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.