VALENTINES of Dundee, the greetings card company which last month

announced nearly 200 redundancies for next year, is to appoint a new

managing director.

Mr Ian Preece, 42, takes up the post next January and will begin an

eight-week handover of the business in Dundee from November 1. Mr Gerry

Lafferty remains in charge of the operational management of Valentines

until the end of the year.

Mr Lafferty will also continue to lead the company's negotiations with

trade unions on the recently announced manufacturing redundancies.

The company is to run down its manufacturing and distribution

operation, with 194 redundancies next year, to concentrate on the

publishing side of greetings cards.

Mr Preece has extensive management experience in retail buying and

merchandising for BHS, Debenhams, Hamleys and Beatties of London. He was

most recently managing director of the home products division of William

Baird.