Richard Hodgson, the group commercial director of Morrisons, is set to leave the British retailer.

The decision follows disappointing third quarter results for the business, with total sales down 0.4 per cent for the period according to recent data from Kantar Worldpanel.

The data showed that Morrisons is currently growing behind the rest of the big four as well as discounters such as Aldi and Lidl.

In a statement, the retailer said Hodgson will be leaving the day-to-day business, with corporate services director Martyn Jones set to step into the role on a temporary basis, and conceded that recent sales have been disappointing.

A spokesperson said: 'With consumer confidence still fragile and high levels of promotional activity a persistent feature of the market, the trading environment has remained challenging through the period and sales were lower than anticipated.'

The Bradford-based firm has also posted a 2.1 per cent decline in sales from stores open at least a year, for the three months ending October 30; an acceleration from the 0.9 per cent drop for the first half of the year.

Edward Garner, director of Kantar Worldpanel, believes Morrisons must now press on with plans to implement its online shopping service if sales are to improve.

'Recent announcements about the development of online and convenience, which are the two fastest growing grocery channels, will no doubt be given added urgency as these channels continue to deliver growth for competitors,' concluded Garner.

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