Tesco Ireland has confirmed Andrew Yaxley as its new chief executive, taking over from Phil Clarke.
Tesco announced today that Clarke would be retiring from the business in April after a two year tenure as Tesco Ireland chief executive. In total, he has spent around four decades at Tesco, joining at the age of 15 as a shelf stacker.
A Tesco Ireland spokesperson told Checkout that the move had 'nothing to do' with the group's performance here, adding that the 'fundamentals of the business' in Ireland are strong.
According to the most recent Kantar Worldpanel market share figures, Tesco is the current Irish grocery market leader, with 25% share, however SuperValu is just ten basis points behind on 24.9% share.
Yaxley previously held the role of managing director of Tesco's London business, a position he had held since 2013. He has worked at Tesco since 2001, holding positions including UK Commercial Director Fresh Foods and Commercial Director Czech Republic & Slovak Republic.
He also spent approximately two decades at Mars, in a variety of Sales Director positions.
Yaxley will report into Matt Davies, CEO Tesco UK & Ireland. He has spent a lot of time in Ireland, as his wife Sinead is from Bray.
According to Tesco, "Andrew is a highly experienced executive with over twenty years’ experience in building businesses in the retail and FMCG manufacturing sectors. He has broad expertise across brands, customer propositions, commercial buying, store operations and property. He has held a number of senior commercial and operations roles in Tesco."
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Stephen Wynne-Jones
