Lovefilm MD Jim Buckle departs
Lovefilm managing director Jim Buckle is leaving the company to become chief financial officer at bike shop Wiggle.
Buckle has worked for the TV and movie rental and streaming company for seven years in a range of roles including chief financial officer and subsequently chief operating officer in February 2011, following its acquisition by Amazon.
He announced his departure on his LinkedIn Page and Twitter feed (pictured). He will take up his new role at Wiggle this April.
Lovefilm has now confirmed his plans to step down but is yet to issue details on his replacement.
“Jim Buckle has announced his intention to step down as managing director of Lovefilm UK in March to pursue other opportunities. Jim has made a huge contribution to building Lovefilm into Europe’s leading film and TV series subscription service. We wish him well in his future endeavours,” said a Lovefilm spokesman.
Buckle became managing director of Lovefilm in March 2012, a month after the departure of former chief executive Simon Calver who left the company to head up Mothercare.
Lovefilm continues to drive its original content strategy as it looks to further strengthen its offering in the face of fierce competition from the likes of US streaming giant Netflix and Tesco’s Blinkbox.
Earlier this month it revealed plans to host 11 original TV series test pilots for members to stream, following the establishment of Amazon Studios, the original film and series production arm of Amazon.
Amazon took full ownership of Lovefilm in January 2011, having previously had a 42 per cent stake in the company.