Tesco has moved to quash rumours surrounding a new appointment for Bob Robbins, chief operating officer of Tesco’s UK stores.
In an internal memo sent to staff yesterday Tesco CEO Philip Clarke said Robbins was taking up a new position.
“As we move closer to the new financial year, I have reflected on the changing needs of the business and I have asked Bob Robbins to change his executive committee accountabilities," he said.
"Bob will work directly for me in a new role that will allow the executive team to increase its focus on the strategic priorities we have established whilst strengthening further the support we provide to the UK business.”
Clarke added that Robbins will be working directly for him on “a number of initiatives which will leverage the skill and scale of Tesco and allow even greater investments to be made for customers”.
Although there is no job title for Robbins’ new role, Tesco’s spokesman told freshinfo he will continue to play a leading role in the UK investment programme and will support Tesco’s UK chief executive, Richard Brasher in this.
Clarke said in the memo: “Over the last year Bob has successfully led the restructuring of our retail operations division, put in place a new team, new processes and developed the successful Listen & Fix programme that has identified how and where we will put more staff and investment into our stores.
“Bob will relinquish his responsibilities for the day to day running of our retail, logistics and support operations by the end of this financial year and Richard Brasher will very shortly announce Bob's successor.”
The spokesman calmed speculation in the national media that the move was related to Robbins’ sale of shares some eight days before Tesco issued a profit warning last December.
He told freshinfo: “Bob sold his shares ahead of the warning when we were not in a closed period. He had no knowledge of any of the information in the trading statement. We have been absolutely resolute on that.”
