One of Karan Retail’s key executives, Ricky Jhuti, has left the Top 50 Indie to join Platinum Retail Group where he will head the retail side of the business.
It is Platinum’s first senior appointment outside of the Sejpal family in 15 years. Operations manager Jamie Sejpal says that it represents “a major step forward” for the 60-strong forecourt group, placed ninth place in Forecourt Trader’s Top 50 Indies ranking, one ahead of Karan Retail.
Sejpal says that Jhuti, who had been head of retail at Coventry-based Karan Retail for the past year and nine months, brings with him a “wealth of experience and knowledge of the industry”.
Much of Jhuti’s experience comes from the alcoholic drinks industry where he worked in business development at William Grant & Sons, and before that as a sales executive at Diageo. Prior to that he worked in his family’s convenience store business, which at its height had six sites in the Midlands.
At the On The Road event hosted by Highland Group last week, he told Forecourt Trader that he was “enjoying developing the retail strategy” for Platinum. ”It’s excitng to work with the family [Jamie, Josh and Sej] and the team. I’ve known Jamie and Josh for quite a few years and been close to them, and I’m looking forward to working with Sej and learning a lot from him.”
The ambition is that Jhuti will help the Amersham-based operator continue to grow, and strengthen its relationship with brands and shop suppliers, says Jamie Sejpal. “We hope in turn our standing as a top 50 independent will grow and move Platinum on to the next chapter.”
