James Morton re-elected as ERA Chairman
18 September 2019 - Press release
HMV’s John Hirst joins ERA board
James Morton has been re-elected as non-executive Chairman of the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), it was announced today (Wednesday) at the ERA AGM.
It marks his second term of office .
In a rousing speech to the AGM, he told members, “We are in the midst of the most sustained period of growth for entertainment since the advent of the CD and the DVD. The underlying driver of the market growth that we are seeing is investment, innovation and the daily determination of retailers and digital services. That is something of which you should all be very proud.”
Meanwhile in the results of elections to the ERA board, HMV Head Of Music John Hirst joins the board for the first time, while James Cooke (Sainsburys Argos), Tom Papps (Sky Store) and influential independents Ashlie Green (David’s Music) and Alan Jordan (Reflex) were all re-elected.
John Hirst joined HMV nearly 20 years ago starting at the flagship Oxford Circus store before joining the head office music buying team, taking on the role of Head of Music in June 2018.
James Cooke began his career in entertainment retailing at HMV in 1991, followed by stints at WH Smith, Virgin Retail, Entertainment UK and then Sainsburys Argos. He was named category manager in Autumn 2018.
Tom Papps joined the video industry in 2004 and has since worked both in retail (Tesco, WH Smith, Woolworths, Virgin) as well as on the supply side of the industry (20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures). As Commercial Strategy Controller for Sky Store, he is responsible for pricing, proposition and market strategy.
Ashlie Green has been elected to serve her second term as independent board member. David’s Music of Letchworth Garden City is a stalwart of the independent community and works closely with its sister bookshop and café.
Alan Jordan has been elected to serve his fourth term as an independent board member of ERA. He is the owner of Reflex Record Shop in Newcastle Upon Tyne which he founded in 1999. As an ERA board member he has been a key figure in addressing operational and supply chain issues for independents.
ERA Chairman James Morton said, “I would like to congratulate all of our newly elected board members. With their help we will continue to ensure that ERA remains the collective representative voice of UK digital services and retailers.”
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