Hugo Boss has appointed Michael Murray, the Frasers' chief executive, as its new chairman, in a move that tightens Mike Ashley's grip on the German fashion brand.
Mr Murray, who is Mr Ashley's son-in-law, was elected head of its supervisory board on Tuesday morning, just 24 hours after Stephan Sturm stepped down amid pressure from Frasers.
The appointment marks a victory for Mr Ashley's retail giant, which has built a stake of about 48pc in Hugo Boss after launching a takeover attempt earlier this year.
Frasers has said it intends to increase its holding beyond 50pc, which would give it majority control of the German retailer.
Mr Murray has been a member of the Hugo Boss supervisory board since May last year, when he was elected alongside Mr Sturm.
He will continue to run Frasers, which owns Sports Direct, House of Fraser and luxury retailer Flannels.
Hugo Boss also said Robert Palmer, a former company secretary at Frasers and one of Mr Ashley's senior lieutenants, would join its supervisory board, subject to appointment by the local court.
Mr Sturm's departure was announced on Monday following discussions between Frasers and the chairman over changes to the supervisory board.
Frasers said the two sides had agreed that an "orderly transition" was appropriate as Hugo Boss entered a "new chapter".
Mr Sturm had been chairman for just 16 months, having been elected in May 2025.
Frasers said earlier this month that it was reviewing whether to continue its support for Mr Sturm after increasing its stake in Hugo Boss to 48pc.
Hugo Boss terminated its share buyback programme earlier this month after Frasers said it intended to take its stake above 50pc.
The appointment puts Frasers' chief executive at the head of Hugo Boss's supervisory board as Mr Ashley seeks to deepen his presence in high-end fashion.
Mr Ashley, who owns 74pc of Frasers, has previously ruled out installing Mr Murray as Hugo Boss's chief executive.
"No, we don't need to do that," he told the Financial Times last month. "We'll show them a bit of Dunkirk spirit."
Frasers began building its stake in Hugo Boss in 2020 and became its largest shareholder earlier this year after its takeover bid was rejected by the company's board.
Mr Ashley's group also owns stakes in Burberry and Mulberry and recently bought Harvey Nichols out of administration in a £40m deal.
