Wed 27th Apr 2022 - Exclusive: Roger Wade to step down as CEO of Boxpark Exclusive – Roger Wade to step down as CEO of Boxpark: Roger Wade is to step down as chief executive of Boxpark, the multi-award-winning hospitality and leisure operator he founded more than a decade ago, Propel has learned. Wade, the former chief executive of Brands Inc and Boxfresh, is stepping down at the end of next month and will assume a new position as brand consultant and non-executive director. Last year, Wade sold his majority stake in the business to private equity firm Lloyds Development Capital (LDC). He will be handing over the reins to Simon Champion, Boxpark’s current managing director, who will be appointed as chief executive, alongside chief operating officer Ben McLaughlin. The news comes as the business is on track to achieve its national expansion plans of rolling out a mixture of ten Boxpark and BoxHall sites in the next five years, with the “support of LDC and a strong property development team”. It will open its debut BoxHall site in Bristol by early 2023, with a second site under the concept set to open in London’s Liverpool Street next summer. Wade said: “It’s been a great ride over the past ten years but it’s time to jump off and explore new opportunities. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me on this incredible journey but most of all I would like to thank my wonderful team and family for their support. As Rocky Baboa once said every once in a while, a person comes along who defies the odds, who defies logic, and fulfils an incredible dream.” Wade founded Boxpark in 2011 as a shipping container retail development in Shoreditch, originally coined as the “world’s first pop-up mall”. In 2016, Boxpark Croydon opened with a street food market-inspired building featuring 30 independent traders. A third sibling site launched in Wembley in 2018, which features a diverse range of food, drink and a 20,000 square foot events space, alongside a dedicated leisure and games offering. Boxpark features in Propel’s Turnover & Profits Blue Book, which is updated monthly for Premium subscribers and now features 559 companies. The Blue Book, which is produced in association with Mapal Group, provides a five-year overview of turnover and profit, ranks companies according to turnover, pre-tax profit and profit conversion. The Blue Book also provides details of directors’ earnings and highest paid directors. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £895 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £445 plus VAT for operators and £545 plus VAT for suppliers. Email jo.charity@propelinfo.com to sign up