Footasylum has found its new chief executive officer.
On Friday, the UK-based footwear and sportswear retailer named Hannah Mercer as CEO, effective in May. She replaces David Pujolar, who stepped down in February after two years at the helm.
Mercer joins Footasylum from Gymshark, where she served as global general manager of wholesale, retail and franchise. Prior to Gymshark, Mercer spent more than six years at Adidas, holding a series of senior global vice president roles across retail operations, global retail and franchise, and global key cities, leading global retail strategy, large‑scale store operations and execution across adidas’ most important markets.
Earlier in her career, Mercer held senior leadership positions at Nike, Harrods, House of Fraser and Value Retail (Bicester Village).
“Footasylum is a brand with a powerful identity, a highly engaged customer base and a unique position in youth culture,” Mercer said in a statement on Friday. “I have long admired the business and the way it connects with its communities, and I am excited to work with the team to build on these solid foundations. With strong momentum across the business, I see significant opportunity for further growth, both in the UK and internationally.”
Stephan Rahmede, senior representative of Aurelius WaterRise, Footasylum owner Aurelius Group’s in-house operations advisory team, praised Mercer in a statement as a “highly credible retail leader” with experience building and scaling omnichannel brands across streetwear, sportswear and premium retail.
“She combines strong commercial discipline with a clear understanding of how commercial excellence, category management, brand and community drive engagement in our business,” Rahmede said. “We are confident that she will further develop Footasylum’s customer experience as a leading athleisure fashion retailer. Aurelius is looking forward to working closely with her as Footasylum builds on its momentum and continues to scale.”
Mercer’s appointment comes as Footasylum continues to execute its growth strategy, focused on strengthening its differentiated streetwear proposition, expanding its omnichannel capabilities and deepening engagement with its core consumer base.
Recent company activity includes international expansion initiatives across the DACH region of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as the Gulf region. Other moves include the continued opening of new and upsized stores across key UK locations, and expanded HSBC UK funding to support both the store rollout program and increased warehousing capacity.
In its most recent earnings report, Footasylum said that its total revenue for fiscal 2025 increased 9.4 percent to 349.5 million pounds, up from 319.5 million pounds in fiscal 2024. Net profit after text was up 625 percent to 19.9 million pounds in fiscal 2025, up from 2.8 million pounds last year.
