Kidderminster carpets group Victoria has appointed its first ever woman chairman, former dotcom company boss 48-year-old Nikki Beckett.

Ms Beckett became a member of the Victoria board of directors in 2007 after quitting NSB, the retail software company she founded in 1997.

She takes over as chairman of the 115-year-old company from Alexander Anton, who will retire from Victoria in April.

Speaking after her appointment yesterday, Ms Beckett said: “I am delighted to have been appointed to the chair, particularly at this stage of the group’s development.

“I very much look forward to helping support the group throughout its next phase of growth.”

Victoria’s group managing director, Alan Bullock, added: “Nikki is a recognised and well respected business leader who has added a wealth of experience to the company. We believe she will be a great asset to the business going forward.”

At the same time Victoria issued a trading statement showing sales had risen 4.6 per cent between October and December compared to the same time the previous year.

Revenue was marginally up in the UK, and ahead 2.5 in Australia where Victoria has major operations. But it slumped more than 42 per cent in Ireland, where the economy is still in the grip of a dramatic slump.

Victoria said UK sales had benefited from a new range of carpets introduced during the year and some seasonal demand in the run-up to Christmas.