The Entertainer is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Murphy as group chief executive officer.

Andrew most recently held the role of group chief operating officer at John Lewis Partnership (JLP). Andrew started his career on the John Lewis shop floor in Aberdeen, rising quickly through the business to lead John Lewis’ Scottish business and subsequently being appointed retail director for the entire department store business; simultaneously joining the John Lewis operating board. In 2015, Andrew was promoted to become the partnership’s first productivity & change director, a group role where Andrew brought large elements of John Lewis and Waitrose together as a single operational entity to be more cost effective and agile. Andrew went on to be appointed chief information officer, a role he held until 2020 and his appointment as COO.

Gary Grant, founder and executive chairman at The Entertainer, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming Andrew to The Entertainer family and using his knowledge, skills and experience to continue to grow our business both here in the UK and globally.”

Andrew commented: “I’m delighted to have been trusted with overseeing the continued growth and development of this fantastic business. With over 170 UK shops, a further 220 globally, and a growing product distribution business, The Entertainer along with Early Learning Centre, Poly and Addo Play have become a mainstay in the lives of children and parents across Britain and many other countries. I can’t wait to join the successful team behind such a great British success story.”

Andrew will officially join the business on the 16th October.

For more information about The Entertainer, visit www.TheToyShop.com.