Gala Coral merges online divisions

The Gala Coral Group has announced that it is merging its two online divisions, Gala Interactive and Coral Interactive, under a single management team.

The combined business will also work more closely with the Coral retail division in order to take advantage of continued multi-channel growth, a statement from the group advises.

The changes have resulted in John O’Reilly, managing director of Coral Interactive, deciding to step down, although he has agreed to stay on as a consultant for a minimum period of 12 months.

Andy Hornby, chief operating officer of Gala Coral Group, will take on the leadership of the combined Interactive division alongside his responsibility for Coral Retail.

Since September 2012, Coral Interactive has grown its net revenues by a factor of 5.2x and Gala Interactive (which started from a much higher base) has increased its net revenues by 1.7x, the company reveals.

Carl Leaver, group CEO of Gala Coral commented: “We have seen huge progress in our online businesses over the last few years. Now is the right time to bring together our collective knowledge and experience to ensure that our brands continue to develop strongly, while at the same time putting multi-channel at the heart of what we do.

“John is an impressive leader who has been instrumental in reviving Coral’s fortunes online. He will be missed as a key member of our senior executive team, but I am delighted not to be losing him completely. The combination of talent in the restructured Interactive management team puts us in great shape for the next phase of our growth.”

O’Reilly said of his decision to step down:

“I joined Gala Coral Group in 2011 to put Coral back on the map in the online market. Since then, with the support of a fantastic management team, we have created a valuable and fast growing business. With Coral’s online business now established it is a good time for me to hand over the reins and return to the UK”.

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