The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
CJ Lang chairman named life president
MANAGEMENT: Major board overhaul at independent Dundee SPAR supplier
The long-serving chairman of Scotland’s largest independent retailing and distribution company has been elevated to the role of life president.
Joan Scott-Adie has headed CJ Lang & Sons Ltd for a number of years and is the majority shareholder in a business established in Dundee in 1919 by her grandfather.
Her move to the newly-created role has allowed for the appointment of Jim Hepburn, a former group commercial finance director with Premier Foods and chief financial officer with Dawnfresh Seafoods, to the position of nonexecutive chairman of the business.
The changes at the Longtown Road SPAR supplier follow a significant management reshuffle in recent months after the departure of long-time managing director Scott Malcolm in February.
The company confirmed the appointment of former Argos, Dixons and WH Smith director Colin McLean as chief executive in March, while Craig Tedford and John Connolly were respectively named as finance director and company secretary.
Mrs Scott-Adie’s time as chairman saw the business consolidate its position as Scotland’s leading independent food wholesaler and retailer.
In 2009 she formally opened the group’s newly extended distribution centre on Longtown Road following a multi-million-pound investment designed to support the group’s growth.
In January, accounts published at Companies House showed CJ Lang achieved a marginal increase in pretax profits to £925,000 for the year to April 30 2017.
However full-year revenues fell by £9.2 million to £185.4m in the year.
At the time Mr Malcolm, who had been with CJ Lang for more than 30 years prior to his departure, cautioned the group faced an “extremely challenging” year as a result of a “highly competitive trading environment” and rising operating costs.