GUS poaches Duddy to be chief

GREAT UNIVERSAL Stores, which swallowed up the high street catalogue chain Argos in a pounds 1.9bn bid earlier this year, has poached Terry Duddy (left) from PC World, an offshoot of Dixons, to head up the operation.

Mr Duddy, 42, will come in as chief executive with main board responsibilities, plugging the gap left by Stuart Rose.

Mr Rose, who won plaudits for his handling of Argos's defence, quit in May. Mr Duddy, the managing director of PC World since January 1995, is credited with having engineered a dramatic expansion in the operation. GUS wants to push Argos upmarket.