Renée Elliott
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Renée Elliott | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1964 (age 60–61) Pascagoula, Mississippi, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Massachusetts Lowell |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur and writer |
| Known for | Former CEO of Planet Organic |
Renée Elliott (born 1964) is an American businesswoman, former CEO of Planet Organic, and co-founder of Beluga Bean.[1][2] She is also a writer.
Elliott was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts. At the University of Massachusetts Lowell, she studied English and minored in health.[1][3] She moved to England in 1986.[4]
Career
Elliott's first job in business was as an editorial assistant on Wine & Spirit Magazine.[5] During a personal development course in Boston in 1991, Elliott was inspired by visits to different organic stores on her lunch breaks, including Bread & Circus. She felt that there was an opportunity in the UK's organic food market segment and that she wanted to open her own stores in London.[1]
In 1995, Elliott was founded Planet Organic, the UK's first organic and natural food supermarket, in Notting Hill, London.[6][7][8] In 2017, Elliott founded her second business, Beluga Bean, with Sam Wigan. The company is a wellbeing enterprise pioneering new strategies for success in business and life.[9] She has promoted wellbeing on the BBC and business publications.[10][11]
In 2018, Elliott sold a stake of Planet Organic to Inverleith, a Scottish private equity firm in a deal estimated at around $15 million.[12]
In 2023, Elliott returned to Planet Organic to rescue the company from administration,[13][14] making decisions to move away from mainstream brands, to delist products such as Huel and Little Moons and returning the company to projected profit.[15][16] She beat Sainsbury's in bidding for the company[17] and has been interviewed by Management Today's Leadership Lessons on her return to the business.[18]