Asda’s chief executive departs after sales slump gathers pace

ANDY CLARKE, the chief executive of Asda, is to leave the business and be replaced by Walmart China’s president.

Sean Clarke, who started his career at Asda in 1996, will take over on July 11.

Last week Andy Clarke told Retail Week that his replacement would be Roger Burnley, chief operating officer at the business, indicating incohesion between management and the US owners.

Mr Burnley had been predicted as Mr Clarke’s successor for months, and it appeared confirmed when the chief executive indicated that “great leader” Mr Burnley would be taking on the role after his mandatory garden leave from Sainsbury’s was up in October this year. Instead he will become deputy chief executive, reporting into Sean Clarke, rather than namesake Andy, on his first day at Asda House.
  
No stranger to Asda, Sean Clarke worked as financial director at the Leeds-based business before moving to other group operations in Canada, Germany and Japan.

Sean Clarke said: “Rejoining Asda at such a critical point in the development of the UK retail market is both a challenge and a privilege. After spending the last 15 years in Walmart’s global retail markets, I’m looking forward to returning to the business that got me hooked on grocery retail.”

Andy Clarke is the longest serving chief executive of the Big Four supermarkets, having been in the role since 2010.

Asda’s sales have been struggling for some time, recently reporting its seventh consecutive quarter of sales declines.

Asda’s quarterly sales performance under Andy Clarke’s leadership:  
  

David Cheesewright, president and chief executive of Walmart International, said: “Actively managing our global business portfolio is a key element of our international strategy, and we must have the right talent in place to lead our businesses through times of change.

“Sean is one of our most experienced global executives, and through his leadership we will build upon the momentum of Project Renewal to reposition Asda in a very competitive market place.  I’m also excited about Roger coming back to Asda, as we view him as a top talent and a future CEO.

“Together with the existing Asda executive team, Sean and Roger will serve as an incredibly powerful team to lead our Asda business. Their complementary skills and combined expertise in the UK retail market and globally brings an unrivaled breadth of retail knowledge to Asda.”

 


 

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