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Stuart Alan Ransom Rose, Baron Rose of Monewden,
Kt (born 17 March 1949) is a British businessman and
life peer, who was the
executive chairman of
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...
until 2010, remaining as chairman until early 2011. He was
knighted in 2008 for his services to the retail industry and created a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
life peer on 17 September 2014, taking the title Baron Rose of Monewden, of
Monewden
Monewden ( ) is a small village and a civil parish in the hundred of Loss (Also: Loes, Loose), in the East Suffolk District, in the English county of Suffolk. The population of the civil parish as of the 2011 census was 120. The village is locat ...
in the
County of Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowestof ...
.
Rose was chairman of online retailer
Ocado
Ocado Group is a British business based in Hatfield, England, which licenses grocery technology. It owns a 50% share of Ocado.com (the other 50% is owned by UK retailer Marks & Spencer) and licenses its grocery fulfilment technology to global ...
from 2013 to July 2020.
He has been chairman of
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of Yorks ...
since 2021.
In October 2015, he was appointed chair of
Britain Stronger in Europe
Britain Stronger in Europe (formally The In Campaign Limited) was an advocacy group which campaigned in favour of the United Kingdom's continued membership of the European Union in the 2016 British referendum. It was launched at the Old Trum ...
, the official remain campaign in the
2016 referendum on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union.
Early life
Rose's grandparents were
White Russian émigrés who fled to China after the
1917 revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of governm ...
. Their son (later named Harry Ransom-Rose) was unofficially adopted by Nona Ransom, a
Quaker from Bedford who served as English tutor to (among others)
Empress Wanrong
Wanrong (; 13 November 1906 – 20 June 1946), of the Manchu Plain White Banner Gobulo clan, was the wife and empress consort of Puyi, the last Emperor of China, sometimes anachronistically called the “Xuantong Empress”, referring to Puy ...
(the last Empress of China), and
Shunryu Suzuki (the Japanese monk who later established the first Zen monastery outside East Asia). It was Nona who transported Harry, Stuart Rose's father, to safety in England as war loomed. The original family name was Bryantzeff, which Rose's father, ex-
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
and civil servant, changed. His mother's side is English, Scottish and Greek.
[ The young family lived in a caravan in Warwickshire until Rose senior obtained a posting with the Imperial Civil Service in Tanganyika (now ]Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
). Rose went to the Roman Catholic St Joseph's Convent School in Dar es Salaam until he was 11. When he was 13 years old his family returned to England and his parents sent him to Bootham School
Bootham School is an independent Quaker boarding school, on Bootham in the city of York in England. It accepts boys and girls ages 3–19, and had an enrolment of 605 pupils in 2016. It is one of seven Quaker schools in England.
The schoo ...
, an independent Quaker boarding school in York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
. His first job was as an administration assistant at the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
.
Career
Rose first joined
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...
in 1972, as a management trainee. Rose remained with Marks & Spencer until 1989, when he joined the Burton Group as Chief Executive in 1994. The Burton Group demerged, forming the
Arcadia
Arcadia may refer to:
Places Australia
* Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
* Arcadia, Queensland
* Arcadia, Victoria
Greece
* Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese
* Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
and
Debenhams
Debenhams plc was a British department store chain operating in the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1778 as a single store in London and grew to 178 locations across those countries, also owning the Danish ...
businesses.
In 1997, he joined
Argos
Argos most often refers to:
* Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece
** Ancient Argos, the ancient city
* Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland
Argos or ARGOS may also refer to:
Businesses
...
as Chief Executive, where he was charged with defending the company against a takeover bid from the home shopping giant,
Great Universal Stores
GUS plc was an FTSE 100 retailing, manufacturing and financial conglomerate based in the United Kingdom. GUS was an abbreviation of Great Universal Stores, the company's name before 2001, while it was also known as the ''Glorious Gussies'' amon ...
(GUS). Ultimately, GUS did succeed in taking control of Argos, although Rose was praised for negotiating an increased price for the retailer.
In a turbulent time in its history, Rose became the Chief Executive of
Booker plc, where he oversaw the merger of the company with
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
to form the
Big Food Group.
Rose joined the
Arcadia Group
Arcadia Group Ltd (formerly Arcadia Group plc and, until 1998, Burton Group plc) was a British multinational retailing company headquartered in London, England. It was best known for being the previous parent company of British Home Stores (BH ...
in 2000 as Chief Executive and left in 2002 following its acquisition. Rose turned around the fortunes of the
Arcadia Group
Arcadia Group Ltd (formerly Arcadia Group plc and, until 1998, Burton Group plc) was a British multinational retailing company headquartered in London, England. It was best known for being the previous parent company of British Home Stores (BH ...
, and sold the group for over £800m, netting himself around £25m as part of the deal.
Rose received an Honorary Doctorate from
Heriot-Watt University in 2007.
He was appointed to the position of Chief Executive of
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...
in May 2004 at the age of 56 and subsequently fought off takeover bids by
Philip Green
Sir Philip Nigel Ross Green (born 15 March 1952) is a British businessman who was the chairman of the retail company the Arcadia Group. He owned the high street clothing retailers Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge from 2002 to 2020. As of Ma ...
for the Group.
For this role he was paid an annual salary of £1,130,000.
In January 2007, he was named the "2006 Business Leader of the Year" by the
World Leadership Forum
The Leadership Forum (previously the World Leadership Forum, Ltd.) was a non-governmental organisation devoted to the development of leadership in a number of key areas including communication, education and policy, that operated from October 2000 ...
for his efforts in restoring the fortunes of Marks & Spencer.
He was
knighted in the
2008 New Year Honours for services to the retail industry and to corporate social responsibility, and was appointed chairman of
Business in the Community
Business in the Community (BITC) is a British business-community outreach charity promoting responsible business, CSR, corporate responsibility, and is one of the Prince's Charities of King Charles III (formerly the Prince of Wales).
BITC work ...
on 1 January 2008.
In 2008, Rose became executive chairman of Marks & Spencer. However, in the light of a recent profits warning, which sparked an unprecedented thirty per cent-plus plunge in the company's shares, this appointment caused some concern to many shareholders. Nevertheless, they voted to re-appoint him at their annual meeting on 9 July 2008. He stepped down as chief executive in May 2010, as executive chairman in July 2010, and as chairman in January 2011 following the appointment of
Robert Swannell
Robert William Ashburnham Swannell (born November 1950) is a British businessman and former banker, and the chairman of Marks & Spencer from 2011 until September 2017.
Early life
Swannell was born in November 1950.
Career
Swannell worked in in ...
.
On 19 January 2011, Rose was appointed as a non-executive director of
Woolworths Holdings Ltd, a large South African retail group listed on the
Johannesburg Stock Exchange
JSE Limited (previously the JSE Securities Exchange and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange) is the largest stock exchange in Africa. It is located in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, after it moved from downtown Johannesburg in 2000. In 2003 ...
.
On 6 September 2012, Rose was appointed as non-executive chairman of Dressipi.com, an online personalised fashion service that matches clothes and accessories to a shopper's shape, style and individual preferences.
In 2013, Rose became an independent non-executive director and chairman of
Ocado
Ocado Group is a British business based in Hatfield, England, which licenses grocery technology. It owns a 50% share of Ocado.com (the other 50% is owned by UK retailer Marks & Spencer) and licenses its grocery fulfilment technology to global ...
, the UK internet-only grocery retailer.
He was recruited to advise the government on turning around failing hospitals, asked to examine how to improve the organisational culture in under-performing hospitals and ways to recruit talent from inside and outside the NHS in February 2014.
In
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, Rose was created a
life peer and took a seat on the Conservative benches in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
. In October 2015, Rose was appointed chair of
Britain Stronger in Europe
Britain Stronger in Europe (formally The In Campaign Limited) was an advocacy group which campaigned in favour of the United Kingdom's continued membership of the European Union in the 2016 British referendum. It was launched at the Old Trum ...
, the official remain campaign in the
2016 referendum on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union.
After stating to a
select committee in March 2016 that wages would go up should Britain leave the European Union, his public role was allegedly limited for the rest of the campaign. In 2019, Rose dismissed calls for a second referendum, stating that he 'believes in a democratic process', despite being a Remainer.
In 2015 Rose became Chairman of Time Out Market, owned by
Time Out Group
Time Out Group is a global media and entertainment company. Its digital and physical presence comprises websites, mobile editions, magazines, live events and markets. Time Out covers events, entertainment and culture in cities around the world. ...
.
On 14 July 2020, Rose stepped down from his role as chairman of Ocado.
As of 2020 Rose chaired privately held businesses including Dressipi, an online fashion start-up, and Zenith, a vehicle-leasing and fleet management company.
On 21 January 2021, Rose was appointed non-executive chairman of
EG Group
EG Group is a British retailer headquartered in Blackburn, United Kingdom, which operates filling stations, convenience stores and fast-food restaurants in Europe, the United States and Australia. The group was created through the combination of ...
.
On 23 November 2021, Rose was appointed chairman of Asda as its first dedicated chairman in more than 20 years.
Personal life
His mother, who had a history of
depression,
[ ]committed suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and subs ...
at the age of 49 by taking an overdose combined with alcohol when Rose was 26 years old.
Rose lives in Central London and Suffolk. He married Jennifer Cook in 1973 in Marylebone
Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary.
An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it me ...
. They had one son and one daughter. After they separated, Rose lived with fashion writer Kate Reardon. Then, after separating from Reardon in 2009, and stepping down from his positions at M&S, Rose and Cook divorced in 2010.
On 16 July 2010, Rose was given an honorary Doctor of Laws
A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...
(LL.D) from the University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
, the same university from which his son graduated.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Stuart
1949 births
British retail chief executives
People educated at Bootham School
English businesspeople in fashion
English businesspeople in retailing
English people of Greek descent
English chief executives
English people of Russian descent
English people of Scottish descent
Knights Bachelor
Living people
People from Gosport
Conservative Party (UK) life peers
Life peers created by Elizabeth II
People associated with Heriot-Watt University
People associated with the University of Leeds