Welcome Break’s former chief executive Robbie Bell has been appointed chief financial officer of McColl’s Retail Group plc.

Early last month was announced that Bell would be leaving Welcome Break on December 31, following its takeover by Applegreen, with John Diviney, managing director of Applegreen’s UK operation taking over.

Bell will take up his new appointment on 17 January, and there will be a handover period before the current CFO Simon Fuller leaves the company on February 22.

Bell was appointed CFO of Welcome Break in 2017 before taking on the role of CEO in early 2018.

McColl’s chief executive Jonathan Miller said: “I am delighted to welcome someone of Robbie’s calibre and expertise to the board. With such a wealth of senior experience in retail and finance, he will add significant strength to the team. I am confident Robbie will make a valuable contribution as we deliver our strategy to enhance our neighbourhood convenience offer."

Bell said: “I am excited to be joining a growing sector with so many opportunities. McColl’s is well placed to benefit from that growth and I’m looking forward to working with Jonathan and the management team to drive future value.”