Appointment — Wagamama Names New Chief Marketing Officer
Wagamama, the UK‑based global noodle‑and‑Japanese inspired restaurant chain, has appointed Claire Farrant as its new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). She steps into the role at a time when the brand is looking to amplify growth, deepen customer connection and build stronger brand engagement across its markets. (Marketing Week)
Role Context
- Farrant takes over after Emma Colquhoun, who was Wagamama’s chief marketing and commercial officer until December 2025, departed for a senior growth role at Wingstop UK. (Marketing Week)
- Wagamama has signalled that “brand buzz”, guest engagement and commercial impact are top priorities for its marketing strategy under the new leadership. (Marketing Week)
Professional Background — Claire Farrant
Farrant brings deep retail and brand leadership experience from major UK and global businesses: (Marketing Week)
Retail Marketing Experience
- Lidl UK: She spent eight years as Marketing Director, during which Lidl grew its market share and significantly raised brand visibility and consumer perception in the UK discount grocery sector. (Marketing Week)
- Morrisons: Before joining Wagamama, she held senior marketing roles including Group Marketing Director at Morrisons, the UK’s fourth‑largest supermarket — bringing experience in customer segmentation, multichannel marketing and retail promotions. (Morrisons)
Corporate and FMCG Exposure
- Farrant also served as Vice‑President of Marketing for BP’s retail division in Europe, where she helped shape strategic marketing across fuel and convenience stores. (Marketing Week)
- Early in her career she gained broad commercial and marketing experience in roles at Tesco, adding to her understanding of large‑scale retail marketing operations. (Marketing Week)
Summary: Her CV blends fast‑paced retail brand building with strategic marketing execution across grocery, fuel retail and large consumer audiences — a background that matches Wagamama’s need to balance brand equity and commercial reach. (Marketing Week)
What This Means for Wagamama — Key Focus Areas
1. Reinvigorating Brand Engagement
Wagamama has described its current phase as one of “huge momentum,” and Farrant’s remit includes driving:
- Greater brand buzz
- Stronger guest engagement
- Long‑term loyalty and cultural relevance
These elements are essential for consumer brands in competitive dining sectors where habits and preferences evolve quickly. (Marketing Week)
2. Blending Digital with In‑Restaurant Experiences
Restaurant marketing increasingly requires seamless integration between digital channels (social, mobile offers, loyalty apps) and in‑store guest experience — a space where retail experience executives like Farrant typically have strong expertise.
3. Reinforcing Growth and Commercial Impact
Given challenges like rising costs and customer footfall variability in hospitality, marketing leaders must show measurable revenue impact alongside creative brand campaigns. Farrant’s retail background — with a strong focus on data‑driven customer insights at places like Lidl and Morrisons — aligns with this priority.
Case Illustration — What Similar Marketing Leadership Has Achieved
To illustrate the type of impact expected from this hire:
Case: Lidl UK Under Farrant’s Marketing Direction
During her time at Lidl, the retailer:
- Increased market share in a highly competitive grocery sector
- Raised brand health metrics through targeted media and customer insight‑led campaigns
This demonstrates the kind of growth‑oriented marketing leadership Wagamama is looking to replicate in the hospitality space. (Marketing Week)
Morrisons Marketing Leadership
At Morrisons, marketers with experience in broad‑reach retail have had to balance promotional effectiveness with brand positioning — skills that translate well to Wagamama’s need to balance offers, promotions and brand personality across channels. (Morrisons)
Industry & Peer Commentary
Sector Observers
Industry watchers see this appointment as part of a broader trend:
“Restaurant and hospitality brands are increasingly recruiting leaders with retail and FMCG heritage because customer expectations — from personalisation to digital service integration — are now shaped by those sectors.”
This reflects the convergence of food service and retail marketing disciplines, where brand experience and performance marketing must operate together effectively. Marketing Week’s Take
Marketing Week commentators note that leadership transitions like this — bringing in someone with multi‑sector experience — signal Wagamama’s ambition to transition from operator‑led growth to brand‑led growth, using data and strategic marketing to deepen consumer loyalty. (LinkedIn)
Summary — Key Points
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Appointee | Claire Farrant, Chief Marketing Officer at Wagamama (new role). (Marketing Week) |
| Previous Experience | Marketing Director at Lidl UK; Group Marketing Director at Morrisons; VP Marketing at BP; senior roles at Tesco. (Marketing Week) |
| Brand Objectives | Increase brand engagement, strengthen guest connection, drive commercial impact. (Marketing Week) |
| Strategic Implications | Signals a shift toward data‑driven, retail‑like marketing excellence within the hospitality industry. (LinkedIn) |
Bottom Line
The appointment of Claire Farrant as Wagamama’s new CMO brings deep retail and brand marketing expertise at a moment of strong consumer focus and competitive pressure in hospitality. Her track record across major UK brands positions her to help Wagamama grow its brand resonance, customer engagement and commercial performance in what the company describes as a period of “huge momentum.” (Marketing Week)
Here’s a case‑study and commentary‑style breakdown of Wagamama’s appointment of a former Lidl and Morrisons executive as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) — including background, what it means for the brand, real examples of leadership impact, and industry reactions:
Case Study 1 — Strategic Leadership Transition at Wagamama
Background of the Appointment
Wagamama has appointed Claire Farrant as its new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), replacing Emma Colquhoun, who moved to Wingstop UK as chief growth officer. (Marketing Week)
Farrant comes to Wagamama with a wealth of marketing leadership experience from major retailers and consumer brands:
- She was Marketing Director at Lidl UK for eight years, during a period of notable growth and brand positioning in the UK grocery sector. (Marketing Week)
- She served as vice‑president of marketing for BP’s retail division in Europe. (Marketing Week)
- Farrant briefly held the Group Marketing Director position at Morrisons before departing for personal reasons. (Marketing Week)
- Earlier in her career she held senior marketing and commercial roles at Tesco and other retail businesses. (Marketing Week)
This blend of experience in retail strategy, customer loyalty and brand growth positions her well to steer Wagamama’s marketing amid competitive food and hospitality dynamics. (Marketing Week)
Case Study 2 — What Claire Farrant Is Expected to Do at Wagamama
Building Brand Buzz & Guest Connection
In announcing her appointment, Farrant noted that Wagamama is enjoying “huge momentum” as a brand and that her priority will be to:
- Strengthen brand salience — raising awareness and improving Wagamama’s distinctiveness in a crowded casual dining market.
- Deepen guest connections — making the brand more relevant and resonant with both existing customers and potential new segments.
- Drive meaningful impact — turning brand engagement into commercial growth. (Marketing Week)
This reflects a shift toward marketing that unites brand strength with commercial performance, a hallmark of leading retail and consumer brand strategies.
Integration of Digital & On‑Restaurant Experiences
Leaders with strong retail backgrounds — like Farrant’s — often bring integrated digital and loyalty mindset to hospitality. This includes coordinating social media, CRM and loyalty (“Soul Club” at Wagamama) with in‑restaurant experiences, helping to boost repeat visits and personalised offers.
For example, in her time at Lidl, such integration helped elevate brand visibility and customer engagement — translating into market share gains for the discounter. (Marketing Week)
Case Study 3 — Leadership in Action: Retail to Restaurant Translation
From Grocery Growth to Dining Growth
Farrant’s tenure at Lidl UK was marked by enhanced brand positioning through strategic campaigns and customer‑focused marketing — skills that are translatable to Wagamama’s current stage:
- Like supermarkets, restaurant brands must balance value perception, product appeal and loyalty incentives — especially as consumer habits evolve in a post‑pandemic leisure economy. (Marketing Week)
Rapid Brand Momentum Phase
Colquhoun laid “brilliant foundations” during her brief tenure at Wagamama, according to Farrant, suggesting that the chain is now looking to scale visibility and engagement beyond operational improvements toward sustained growth and cultural relevance. (Marketing Week)
Industry & Peer Commentary Strategic Insight from Marketing Week
Marketing commentators view this move as part of a broader trend where hospitality and restaurant chains recruit leaders with retail and brand marketing heritage — because today’s consumers expect seamless digital experiences, personalised loyalty programmes and strong brand narratives. (LinkedIn)
- Retail‑savvy CMOs are often adept at orchestrating omnichannel campaigns across social, loyalty, digital and physical touchpoints — skills that are increasingly required in casual dining where competition for share of stomach and share of voice is fierce.
What Analysts Are Saying
Analysts suggest that Wagamama’s choice reflects:
- Recognition that brand strength and guest loyalty are key differentiators in hospitality.
- Desire to leverage data and customer insight in marketing, a skillset typically honed in major retail roles like those at Lidl and Morrisons.
- Aiming for coherent brand communication across markets as Wagamama expands globally. (Marketing Week)
Commentary & Observations
Leadership Mobility Between Sectors
Farrant’s move from grocery and fuel retail into hospitality demonstrates how core marketing competencies transcend sectors:
- Customer insight and segmentation
- Brand positioning and equity building
- Multichannel campaign leadership
These are equally vital whether selling food, fuel or restaurant experiences.
Opportunity to Reinforce Loyalty
Wagamama’s loyalty programme Soul Club and digital engagement platforms (e.g., app, social communities) are areas where marketing leadership can drive measurable results — through targeted offers, personalised messaging and community building.
Challenges Ahead
Farrant steps into a landscape where:
- Casual dining is recovering post‑pandemic but remains competitive.
- Consumers have high expectations for brand engagement and value.
Her retail experience, with its heavy emphasis on customer behaviour and performance metrics, equips her well to navigate these challenges.
Summary of Key Takeaways
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| New CMO | Claire Farrant — former marketer at Lidl UK, BP and Morrisons joins Wagamama. (Marketing Week) |
| Role Objective | Build brand buzz, deepen guest connections, drive commercial impact. (Marketing Week) |
| Strategic Importance | Reflects shift toward data‑driven, omnichannel marketing in hospitality. (LinkedIn) |
| Industry Insight | Emulates broader trend of hiring retail/consumer brand leaders to grow restaurant chains. (LinkedIn) |
Why This Matters
Wagamama’s appointment of a seasoned retail marketing leader underscores how modern brand leadership in hospitality now requires skills traditionally honed in fast‑moving retail environments — combining customer insight, loyalty, digital engagement and brand storytelling to drive growth in a competitive sector. (LinkedIn)