{"id":2162822,"date":"2026-11-03T17:34:17","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T17:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/yorkshire\/?p=2162822"},"modified":"2026-11-04T07:46:42","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T07:46:42","slug":"can-potts-rescue-asda-%e2%80%93-or-are-its-problems-bigger-than-its-new-boss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/yorkshire\/news\/2162822-can-potts-rescue-asda-%e2%80%93-or-are-its-problems-bigger-than-its-new-boss","title":{"rendered":"Can Potts rescue Asda \u2013 or are its problems bigger than its new boss?"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Potts knows a thing or two about rescuing supermarkets. The question now is whether he can do it again.<\/p>\n

The former Morrisons boss has been handed one of the toughest jobs in British retail<\/a>, taking the reins at Leeds-headquartered Asda after years of falling market share, mounting losses and a bruising battle with the discounters.<\/p>\n

His appointment as chief executive allows Allan Leighton to step back into a non-executive chairman role, almost two years after returning to the supermarket he helped transform in the 1990s.<\/p>\n

\"\"

David Potts<\/p><\/div>\n

It is a significant moment for Asda. But whether it marks the beginning of a genuine recovery, rather than simply another change at the top, remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

Leighton insists the business has already turned a corner. He said: “Over the last two years, we have stabilised the business and returned it to some growth.”<\/p>\n

He described Potts’s experience as “exactly what we now require for the next stage of our transformation and beyond.”<\/p>\n

Asda’s latest sales figures, however, suggest the turnaround is far from secure. According to Worldpanel by Numerator, sales fell 0.5% in the 12 weeks to October 4, making Asda the only major supermarket to record a decline.<\/p>\n

That followed a brief return to growth in September, when sales rose just 0.1% \u2013 the first increase in more than two years. The reversal raises uncomfortable questions about whether Leighton’s recovery strategy is delivering lasting results.<\/p>\n

The scale of the challenge is considerable. Asda has struggled to regain the ground lost to rivals, while its traditional strength on price has been steadily eroded by Aldi and Lidl. Its market share has slipped to around 11.5%, leaving Aldi closing in on its position as Britain’s third-largest supermarket. The business has also been weighed down by substantial debt following its \u00a36.8bn takeover by TDR Capital and the Issa brothers in 2020.<\/p>\n

And although Leighton has overseen improvements in pricing, availability and operations, the recovery remains fragile.<\/p>\n

Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell, believes Potts has the credentials to tackle the problems but warns that the competitive landscape has fundamentally changed. She said: “Supermarkets are unique beasts, and the UK grocery sector has become a hugely competitive battleground with wafer-thin margins and an increasingly savvy consumer.<\/p>\n

“Understanding what makes each brand different and why its shoppers choose to wheel their trollies down the aisles is an art form and few bosses have the kind of credentials that Asda\u2019s incoming CEO can boast.”<\/p>\n

Potts certainly brings experience. Having started his career on the Tesco shop floor aged 16, he rose through the ranks before taking charge of Morrisons in 2015. During eight years at the Bradford-headquartered supermarket, he oversaw a turnaround, expanded its convenience and wholesale operations and steered the business through its \u00a37bn private equity takeover.<\/p>\n

But the strategies that helped revive Morrisons a decade ago may prove harder to replicate in today’s grocery market. Tesco and Sainsbury’s have strengthened their positions, while Aldi and Lidl have continued to expand, leaving Asda squeezed between competitors offering both aggressive pricing and increasingly compelling shopping experiences.<\/p>\n

\"\"Hewson said: “Asda is known for its keen pricing, but that\u2019s put the supermarket in a position where its USP has made it the most vulnerable to the charms of Aldi and Lidl. At a time when price pressures are increasing and shoppers are thinking hard about every penny, margins will be stretched and decisions will need to be creative.”<\/p>\n

That goes to the heart of Asda’s dilemma. Cutting prices might bring shoppers back, but doing so while protecting profitability and servicing billions of pounds of debt is an altogether different proposition.<\/p>\n

Asda recorded a pre-tax loss approaching \u00a31bn last year, and its financial constraints raise questions about how aggressively it can compete with rivals that have greater flexibility to invest.<\/p>\n

The challenge is not simply to make Asda cheaper. It is to give customers a compelling reason to choose it again.<\/p>\n

Potts acknowledges there is unfinished business. He said: “The business has made good progress but significant opportunities remain.” He believes improvements to the shopping experience that customers can “feel in their pockets” will be central to reviving Asda’s fortunes.<\/p>\n

Catherine Shuttleworth, chief executive of retail consultancy Savvy, believes Leighton has laid some of the foundations for recovery but warns there is still a long road ahead. She said: “The scale of the challenge at Asda cannot be understated and veteran retailer David Potts has a big challenge on his hands to get the business back into consistent growth. Since Allan Leighton rejoined Asda his experience and understanding of the brand have helped to rebuild a management team and started the turnaround journey but there is still much to do.”<\/p>\n

That assessment raises another question: how much of Asda’s turnaround has actually been achieved? Leighton’s return in November 2024 was intended to bring stability and restore confidence after a turbulent period under private equity ownership.<\/p>\n

His Formula for Growth strategy has focused on improving the core supermarket operation while developing convenience, online shopping and other services. But while operational improvements are important, they have yet to translate into a sustained recovery in market share.<\/p>\n

Potts also inherits a workforce that has experienced considerable upheaval, including restructuring and job losses, alongside the disruption of separating Asda’s IT systems from former owner Walmart. \"\"<\/p>\n

Rebuilding confidence among employees and customers will be every bit as important as decisions taken in the boardroom. And he has little time to settle in.<\/p>\n

Potts said: “Christmas is upon us and the business has a clear focus on keeping Asda prices locked low at this important time for our customers.”<\/p>\n

Hewson said: “Mr Potts faces a baptism of fire, stepping into the role at the sector\u2019s most important and potentially lucrative period ahead of Christmas. Getting Christmas right is essential, although most of the pieces will already be firmly in place.”<\/p>\n

There is also the question of whether Asda’s problems can be solved through operational improvements alone.<\/p>\n

The supermarket has\u00a0 been losing ground in a market where scale, efficiency and customer loyalty are critical. Its debt burden limits its room for manoeuvre, while competitors have little incentive to make life easier for a recovering rival.<\/p>\n

Potts’s experience of running Morrisons through its own turnaround and private equity takeover will undoubtedly prove valuable. But Asda’s owners will be expecting more than a stabilisation of the business.<\/p>\n

They need growth, stronger margins and evidence that the supermarket can regain relevance in a market that has moved on without it.<\/p>\n

For Leighton, the appointment represents an opportunity to hand operational responsibility to a proven retailer while remaining closely involved in the company’s future.<\/p>\n

For Potts, it is the chance to restore one of Britain’s best-known supermarket names to its former standing.<\/p>\n

But can experience alone reverse lost market share, repair a stretched balance sheet or restore a competitive advantage that rivals have spent years dismantling?<\/p>\n

Asda has found its new boss. Whether it has found the answer to its problems is another matter entirely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David Potts has rescued a supermarket before. But can the former Morrisons boss revive Asda, or are its problems now too deep for even a seasoned retail heavyweight? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":271992,"featured_media":2106959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[137137,53262,47995],"coauthors":[137100],"class_list":["post-2162822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","category-business-news","category-retail","tag-featured-story","tag-top-story","tag-yorkshire"],"yoast_head":"\nCan Potts rescue Asda \u2013 or are its problems bigger than its new boss? | TheBusinessDesk.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"David Potts has rescued a supermarket before. 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