Sainsbury’s shakes up top team after Argos Christmas sales fall
SAINSBURY’S has announced a shake-up to its top team after a disappointing Christmas in its Argos outlets.
Britain’s second biggest supermarket said it was trimming the number of people on its operating board as it prepares for a strategy update next month.
As part of the changes, Sainsbury’s said Graham Biggart, its chief transformation officer, will also now be responsible for general merchandise and clothing across Sainsbury’s and Argos.
He will be supported by Matt Leeser, who is replacing Paula Nickolds as general merchandise commercial director. Ms Nickolds, the former John Lewis managing director who joined Sainsbury’s in 2021, is leaving the supermarket to become chief executive of upmarket retailer The White Company.
The shake-up comes after Sainsbury’s on Jan 10 said it was hit with weaker demand for electrical goods and clothes in the crucial Christmas period.
The 4.2pc slide in sales at Argos offset a rise in grocery demand. Clothing sales were down 6pc in the run-up to Christmas. Shares tumbled 5pc on last week’s trading update.
However, Simon Roberts, the Sainsbury’s chief executive, at the time argued that momentum was building at the retailer. It comes as he prepares to unveil the next phase of Sainsbury’s “food first” strategy within the coming weeks, where it is cutting out costs to invest savings in areas such as lowering food prices.
The cost-cutting drive has included closer collaboration between its Argos and Sainsbury’s operations. Last year, the company announced it was closing the historic headquarters of Argos and consolidating five warehouses to three.
Sainsbury’s said it was looking ahead to the next phase of its strategy in announcing the board changes.
Mr Roberts told The Telegraph last month that the focus will be on continuing to strip out costs, saying: “The question now is when we’re looking to take costs out, can we do it while making our stores better for customers?”
Yesterday, it said it was moving Rhian Bartlett into the role of chief food commercial officer, “recognising the continued acceleration of our Food First strategy”.
She currently sits as food commercial director.
Mr Roberts said: “I look forward to sharing more on the next phase of our plan at our forthcoming strategy update, building on all we’ve done to put food back at the very heart of Sainsbury’s.”