New hires and investment success for Chesterfield Champions

Businesses in the town’s network of Chesterfield Champions continue to share success, with several businesses marking further achievements in recent weeks.

Our latest roundup includes new hires, promotions and investment success, alongside good news for the area’s women’s cricket scene.

Find out the latest in our roundup below…

Two new hires for Superior Wellness

Superior Wellness has announced the appointment of Richard Walker as their Global Marketing Director. He joins them with over 15 years of international experience in on and offline marketing, above and below-the-line advertising, e-commerce, social media, influencer projects and celebrity endorsements.

Richard is a multi-award-winning International Marketing Director with a proven track record. Before joining Superior Wellness, he was the Marketing Director of Wren Kitchens and the Wren brand guardian since its inception in 2009.

He drove marketing effectiveness and business expansion, contributing to double-digit growth in turnover each year. In less than five years, Wren had grown to become the UK’s leading retailer and distributor of kitchens and bedrooms and now has over 120 showrooms in the UK and US and an annual turnover in excess of £1billion.

Richard said: “I am incredibly excited to be joining the team at such a crucial point in Superior Wellness’ growth. There is a huge opportunity to play our part in the global wellness market – and great things are already happening.”

In addition, the company has expanded its International team with a new International Sales Manager. Victor Puig has over 15 years across a broad range of sectors including consultancy, communication and sales.

Víctor’s previous role was International Sales Manager at Aquavia Spa (one of Europe’s largest spa manufacturers). He spent five years at Aquavia Spa and seven years in international commerce focused on Europe and Latin-America.

Víctor previously served for 8 years (two terms) as the City Council party leader in his local constituency and as the International Officer for a mainstream party in Catalonia.  He also holds a Law Degree by the University of Barcelona, and an MBA by the Barcelona School of Management.

Víctor said: “I am thrilled to join a dynamic team with such proactive leadership and a clear vision to become a global player. The fast-paced environment at Superior Wellness, combined with our ambition to redefine the wellness industry, makes this an incredibly exciting opportunity. I am eager to contribute to our collective success and help drive innovative growth strategies forward.”

Success for Devonshire Group as Peak Shopping Village reaches full occupancy

Visitors to Peak Village are to be treated to the arrival of two Derbyshire-based independent businesses this Summer as the centre continues to evolve its retail and leisure mix in line with a long-term investment strategy by owners, the Devonshire Group.

Now fully let, August will see the centre welcome Ashbourne-based luxury fashion boutique, Young Ideas and pottery studios, The Clayrooms. This latest milestone at Peak Village builds on a strong year at the retail destination, with footfall climbing to half a million in spite of difficult, post-pandemic trading conditions. Positive momentum is likewise being reflected in the centre’s financial performance, with turnover up by over £4m in the past three years, peaking at £8m for FY 2023-24.

Young Ideas has taken on a 1,500 sq ft unit at Peak Village following the runaway success of another of their group brands, Henmores, which itself opened at the centre in October 2023. The boutique will run as a pop-up shop for an initial six months.

The arrival of Young Ideas and The Clayrooms is the latest phase in the development of the retail and leisure outlet at Peak Village, providing greater choice for customers, increasing employment opportunities, and supporting the growth of local businesses.

Katayune Jacquin, centre manager at Peak Village, said: “Fully letting Peak Village marks an exciting milestone in our journey to transform the centre’s appeal to customers. It’s a real testament to, and show of confidence in, what our investment in the site has been able to achieve. In The Clayrooms and Young Ideas, we have two exciting businesses joining us that I know will become favourites for our visitors. With both new arrivals having Derbyshire roots, we’re also delivering on our promise to champion incredible regional brands, as well as giving visitors from farther afield a real insight into everything Derbyshire has to offer.

“The transformation of Peak Village isn’t done yet though. We have exciting updates and developments for the centre on the horizon that are set to further improve our customer proposition and support the efforts of our agents, FHP, who are working hard to ensure that Peak Village is the go-to destination for great new letting prospects.”

Work is currently nearing completion on a project to transform the site’s central courtyard and redesign the Massarella conservatory to provide a modernised and more welcoming areas for customers.

Derbyshire County Cricket Club successful in Women’s Tier 2 bid

Derbyshire Women will play in Tier Two of the restructured domestic pyramid from 2025 onwards, after the Club’s bid to the England & Wales Cricket Board was successful.

Derbyshire’s senior Women’s team, as well as Girls’ Talent Pathway, will run alongside the current Men’s professional and junior development setup, as part of the new women’s domestic structure, which will see all first-class and national counties represented within the three-tier pyramid.

Derbyshire’s bid, which was presented as part of the process to determine which counties would be placed in each tier, was selected by the ECB, after showcasing the Club’s and Derbyshire Cricket Foundation’s commitment to growing the women’s game within the region.

As a host venue attracting record crowds for several England internationals, as well as the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup, Derbyshire continues to be one of the biggest supporters of women’s cricket in the country and in June hosted the groundbreaking Charlotte Edwards Cup Finals Day.

The Derbyshire Cricket Foundation has delivered significant growth in the Women and Girls game across the county and in 2023, Derbyshire clubs featured in more than a quarter of all women’s cricket played across the Midlands, while the likes of Danni Wyatt, Sarah Glenn and Bess Heath, have all been involved in the Women and Girls Pathway and gone on to make multiple appearances for the national side.

Further details regarding players and coaching staff for the Derbyshire Women’s team will be announced in due course.

Derbyshire Chief Executive, Ryan Duckett, said: “The restructuring of women’s domestic cricket is a huge moment for the game, not just in Derbyshire, but across the country.

“With our successful tier two bid, we now have the opportunity to build on the fantastic work that the Derbyshire Cricket Foundation have done over many years to further grow the women and girls’ game in the county.

“We look forward to competing within tier two, where we want to be one of the standard bearers, and make a push to break into tier one, but also to inspire generations of women and girls across Derbyshire to truly believe that cricket is a game for them.

“Throughout this development of our tier two programme, we will also maintain our strong links with The Blaze, to support the growth of women’s cricket within the East Midlands with double header fixtures alongside our senior men’s team featuring both the Blaze and our Women’s team where possible across the season.”

Whittam Cox Architects shortlisted for three regional awards