N Brown Group: How to update a 161-year-old etailer A year into her newly created role as retail CEO at N Brown Group, Sarah Welsh details how she is leading a re-invigoration of its five key brands and realigning its customer focus. Welsh joined 161-year-old N Brown Group as retail CEO in March 2020. The role was expanded from chief product officer to place a greater focus on product and customer experience. She reports to group CEO Steve Johnson who joined N Brown as financial services director in February 2016, later becoming interim CEO in September 2018 and CEO in February 2019. Leading its core strategic brands: inclusively sized womenswear label Simply Be, which caters for sizes 10 to 32/34; JD Williams, which is aimed at women aged 45 to 65; size-inclusive menswear brand Jacamo; Ambrose Wilson, which focuses on women aged 60 and over; and homeware brand Home Essentials.