Foyles has turned to a former executive from Hamleys toy store to replace its retiring chief executive.

The London book chain announced that Paul Currie has been appointed chief executive to replace Sam Husain, who will retire on his 68th birthday in April.

Currie, a former chief operating officer at Hamleys, has been in a senior role at the Molton Brown bath and beauty company since 2011. He has also advised firms including Cath Kidston, Crabtree & Evelyn, and the White Company.

Husain, an accountant who once claimed he had never really “read a book from cover to cover”, is credited with helping to complete the transformation of Foyles from old-fashioned bookseller into a sleek modern retailer with ambitions beyond its traditional Charing Cross base. It now has four shops in London and one in Bristol, and plans to open a branch in Birmingham in September.

The retailer enjoyed an 8% rise in sales in December compared with the previous year.

Christopher Foyle, the non-executive chairman – who owns two-thirds of the business – said: “Sam has been invaluable to Foyles’ continuing renaissance. His leadership has made the past eight years exceptional, culminating in a superb Christmas at our new flagship stores and across the business.”