One day, in the Land of Edgardale (as the story goes) Birgitt Gebauer, former CE of the Edgars chain — after a feverish exchange with newly appointed Edcon boss Bernie Brookes — turned on her heels, and blasted off, never to be seen again.An associate of previous CEO Jürgen Schreiber, she was brought in to revive the ailing chain using her more than 28 years of retail expertise. Her departure was notarised earlier this year in a terse two-paragraph statement naturally devoid of details about her spectacular exit. It simply said she had “left the group”.The same communiqué named Brookes as her replacement (he’s also the overall boss of Edcon, which owns CNA and Jet) and Andrew Levermore was named COO.Fresh eyes often herald a change in strategy — it’s hardly unusual. Over at Woolworths, CEO Ian Moir’s makeover of its Australian chain David Jones has not been limited to overhauling its frumpy-looking stores and archaic systems.At least eight long-serving David Jones execs have been le...
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