AF Blakemore appoints CJ Antal Smith as new Chief Commercial Officer

AF Blakemore & Son Ltd has announced the appointment of CJ Antal Smith as its new Chief Commercial Officer, effective 8 September 2025.

In this role, CJ will accelerate AF Blakemore's customer-led strategy, leading the Commercial and Marketing teams to strengthen relationships with shoppers, retailers, suppliers and stakeholders. The move reflects the company's commitment to its value of Search for Excellence — aiming to become the UK's best Community Grocery Retailer and a leading Food Solutions Business.

CJ joins AF Blakemore from Poundland & Dealz, where she has been leading the Commercial, Marketing and Digital functions through a successful sale process. She brings extensive experience in food and convenience retail, having previously held senior commercial roles at Co-op, Halfords, Nando's and Asda.

The past few months have seen a rapid acceleration of AF Blakemore's customer-led strategy. In April, the company began supplying more than 80 EG On the Move SPAR stores, and in June it launched Blakemore Trade Partners Plus — a £4.5 million investment package delivering lower prices, up to 8% rebates and tailored support to help independent retailers thrive in a changing market. AF Blakemore has also partnered with Iceland on frozen food, enhancing its 'tonight's tea' proposition with innovation and value.

The business has further strengthened its Food Solutions division, becoming the primary branded supply partner for Marks & Spencer — a milestone that adds significant scale and growth potential. Meanwhile, its investment in a Relex partnership underpins ambitions to build a best-in-class supply chain. Together, these developments reinforce AF Blakemore's commitment to innovation, partnership and long-term sustainable growth.

Carol Welch, Chief Executive Officer at AF Blakemore, said:
“CJ’s track record in commercial leadership, as well as her deep understanding of the customer in the convenience retail space makes her a powerful addition to our business. By bringing the Marketing and Commercial teams together under her leadership we will strengthen our customer-led strategy, as well as building stronger partnerships across shoppers, retailers, suppliers and other stakeholders, resulting in a further acceleration in our growth.”

CJ Antal Smith, incoming Chief Commercial Officer, commented:
“It’s a very exciting time to be joining AF Blakemore as it embeds its exciting customer-led strategy across the business, with new retail partnerships opening up new routes to market. Convenience is changing fast — people are shopping little and often, and community, value and choice matter more than ever. That’s exactly where AF Blakemore is making a real difference, and I can’t wait to get started and work with the team to build on this momentum.”