Nisa has appointed Peter Hartley as its new chairman following the resignation of Christopher Baker on 2 September.

Hartley joined the Nisa Board in December 2012 as an independent non-executive director and was appointed interim chairman in August 2016. A chartered accountant with banking qualifications, he has extensive retail sector experience at both strategic and operations levels having held a number of CEO as well as finance director roles.

Nisa also elected two new member directors to the Board, Matthew Hunt and Sukhwinder Tiwana. Nisa’s member directors are elected every three years and play an important role representing the views and opinions of the membership.

At the AGM, chief executive Nick Read announced improved sales of £666m for the half year to 2 October 2016 (figures for week 26 are estimated), up 1.1% year on year. Fresh produce sales were up 21.9%, while pre-tax profit was £1m for the period.

Nick Read, CEO of Nisa Retail, said: “Last year was a stabilisation period for Nisa and we are delighted that our momentum has continued into the new year, with the return to profitable growth a clear highlight in the first half of this year.

“We are confident that we can maintain this momentum and further strengthen Nisa’s position as the partner of choice for independent retailers. I am pleased to welcome Peter Hartley as our new chairman, and the whole Board looks forward to working with all our members as we continue to progress Nisa for the benefit of the whole Nisa community.”