Central Group has appointed Sean Hill as the new chief of Netherlands department store De Bijenkorf, effective this month.

Hill is a fourth-generation member of the Chirathivat family and the eldest grandson of Central Group co-founder Samrit Chirathivat. He brings more than 15 years of experience in the retail sector.

His previous roles include retail expansion manager at Rinascente in Italy, COO of Germany’s KaDeWe Group, and, most recently, as MD of Central Group Europe, where he oversaw investments, store development, and commercial real estate.

“It is an honour to build on the foundation laid by the team and the customer-first approach that defines De Bijenkorf,” said Hill. “I see many opportunities to develop the business further.”

De Bijenkorf is part of the Selfridges Group, in which Central Group became a shareholder in 2022.

The group’s European operations include Selfridges in the UK, Brown Thomas and Arnotts in Ireland, KaDeWe, Oberpollinger and Alsterhaus in Germany, Illum in Denmark, Globus in Switzerland, and De Bijenkorf in the Netherlands.