Morrisons has this afternoon (27 January) named Loblaw COO Dalton Philips as the UK retailer’s new chief executive.
The UK’s fourth-largest grocer has been searching for a successor to Dutchman Marc Bolland, who announced in November he would leave the business to take the top job at rival Marks and Spencer.
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Philips, a former executive at Wal-Mart, will take the helm at Morrisons in March and said the retailer was an “incredibly exciting business with a terrific history”.
Morrisons chairman Sir Ian Gibson said he was “delighted” to have secured Philips’ appointment.
“He has a tremendous retail pedigree and a wealth of experience from senior retail positions around the world. I look forward to welcoming him to the great team at Morrisons.”
Last week, Morrisons claimed the retailer had “beat” its UK rivals over the key Christmas trading period after posting a 6.5% rise in like-for-like sales.
Under Bolland’s stewardship, Morrisons put the problematic integration of Safeway behind the company and, using a marketing campaign focused on fresh food and value, posted months of strong sales and earnings growth.
