After building up Lovefilm and selling it to Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN), CEO Simon Calver is leaving for an unusual new challenge in retail, as CEO of parent-and-toddler chain Mothercare.
COO Jim Buckle, who has run both Lovefilm’s commercial and financial operations since 2006, will take over from Calver in the “coming months”, the company says (Calver’s blog).
The change happens at an interesting time. Whilst its likely Calver simply wanted a new challenge, Lovefilm may also be at a cross-roads…
In its looming fight with Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX), should it remain a standalone brand or should it be re-badged under Amazon, which has its own U.S. movie and TV service but which is lacking a full such content line-up in the UK?
Lovefilm has over two million customers across Europe (ie. mainly UK and Germany), was formed out of amalgam of several DVD rental businesses and recently introduced an online-only tariff that, at least in the short term, undercuts Netflix’s own in the UK.
The rival pair are busy trying to acquire content rights.