Laura Ashley Brings Pat Robertson on Board

Britain’s Laura Ashley Holdings, a clothing and home furnishings retailer known as much for its sliding sales and stock price as its floral prints, said it has turned to television evangelist Pat Robertson for inspiration. The company named Robertson a non-executive director to tap his knowledge of the North American market, spokesman Stephen Cox said. The retailer also replaced its chief executive for the third time in 14 months, naming Kwan Cheong Ng, an executive with a Malaysian company that bought 40% of Laura Ashley last May. As a non-executive director, Robertson will attend about half a dozen board meetings a year and won’t be involved on a day-to-day basis. “It’s clear that the owners have decided the only card they can play is the divine-intervention card,” said Richard Hyman, an analyst at Verdict Research Ltd.