Accessible Retail, the trade body involved in the UK retail warehouse and retail park sector, has elected James Honeyman and James Hamilton as co-chairs of its board, React News can reveal. 

The duo will replace Ben Whittle, director of property, ESG and new business development at bed retailer Dreams, who has been a member of the board since 2016: first as director/company secretary, then as chairman from September 2019.

The new chairs will be responsible for leading the organisation across its core areas of networking, professional development, charity and lobbying. This is the first time the position has been shared by two people.

Honeyman is taking the new role after serving as deputy chairman and secretary at Accessible Retail. He is a partner at Quadrant Estates and a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. He also previously worked at British Land, Axa and Henderson Global Investors, now Nuveen.  

Hamilton is also part of the Accessible Retail board as a retailer representative. For nine years since 2011, he held senior roles at Costa Coffee, before it was sold by Premier Inn owner Whitebread to Coca-Cola. He is now Costa’s property and store development director. Prior to this, he worked at Halfords and Vision Express.