Henry Birch has been at the forefront of ecommerce since its birth, experiencing first-hand its exponential growth and harnessing its power to tap into ever-evolving consumer trends.
Following the public’s first access to the internet in 1991, the now 52-year-old headed several early-adopter digital-led companies, including now-defunct music venture Riffage.com in California’s Silicon Valley, and online gambling companies William Hill and Rank Group (see full CV below). He joined The Very Group – then known as Shop Direct – as CEO in 2018.
However, even Birch, with his impressive digital CV, could not have foreseen the extraordinary impact that the Covid-19 pandemic would have on ecommerce. Just two years into his Very Group tenure, the global crisis has propelled consumers’ digital shopping habits forward by around six years. Total online sales growth in the UK rose by 36.6% year on year in 2020 – the largest growth seen since 2007, the IMRG Capgemini Online Retail Index…
