Grafton Group has announced the appointment of Gavin Slark as group chief executive to succeed Michael Chadwick.
Mr Slark will join the group and the board as chief executive designate on April 1, and will be appointed ceo on July 1. He was previously group chief executive of plumbing and heating merchant BSS Group.

Mr Chadwick will continue as chairman of the board in a non-executive capacity from July. He has been executive chairman of Grafton since 1985.

Grafton's executive director and chief operating officer Leo Martin has also announced his intention to retire at the end of the year. He was due to retire in August but has agreed to extend his contract until December to help familiarise Mr Slark with the group's operations.

Executive chairman Michael Chadwick said: "We are very pleased to appoint a group chief executive of the calibre of Gavin Slark. He has a depth of experience and proven track record as a ceo in our sector."

He added: "We will be losing the valuable service of Leo Martin at the end of the year following his decision to retire... We are pleased that he has agreed to continue to be available to the Group after his retirement in an advisory capacity."