Former LOCOG Head Simon Lilley Joins Arsenal as Retail Director

English Premier League’s Arsenal FC has appointed Simon Lilley as its new Retail Director.

Lilley joins from his previous role as Head of Licensing and Retail at LOCOG, where he was responsible for running the highly successful licensing programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Prior to joining LOCOG, Lilley spent ten years with adidas, working across their sports apparel and footwear businesses, before joining UEFA as their Senior Manager for Licensing and Retail, helping to negotiate the appointment of adidas as a worldwide sponsor and licensee for EURO 2008 alongside the development of its global product range.

Lilley’s appointment follows the departure of Retail Director Nick Peel, who left in August after spending two years with the Club. During this time, Arsenal relaunched its online and mobile retail arms and opened a new flagship store at Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

Speaking about the appointment, Arsenal Football Club Chief Commercial Officer, Tom Fox, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Simon has decided to join Arsenal. His track record in delivering outstanding commercial revenues for global sports brands and developing multi-channel retail businesses is second to none.”

“Our retail division has made enormous strides recently and we hope that Simon will help us to continue shaping and evolving our retail strategy as we look to identify further opportunities to grow our retail operations both online and internationally.”

Lilley will start his new role with Arsenal on 19 November 2012.