Supermarket giant Tesco has hired a new Managing Director for its London stores in recognition of changing shopper habits and expectations, it has been announced.
Former Tesco Commercial Director Andrew Yaxley began in his new role earlier this week as the grocer focuses on improving its product mix to suit its “diverse” customer base.
Part of Tesco CEO Philip Clarke‘s turnaround strategy for the supermarket‘s domestic business, Yaxley‘s appointment follows the promotion of Chris Bush to UK Managing Director last month.
A statement from Tesco said: “Andrew will be taking on the new role of MD for London, responsible for all formats in the London area.
“This is in recognition of the importance of London to Tesco – its diversity presents us with huge opportunities, as we work towards giving shoppers more personalisation in a city where shopping habits change rapidly and customer expectations are extremely high.
“We‘ve already started work on building a better Tesco for our London customers, for example opening a new dotcom centre in Crawley and another being built in Erith to give a better service to our online customers.
“We‘re also focusing on getting the right ranges and products in each store, for example trialling Food to Go in Kensington and Regent Street for busy commuters.
“This year, we‘ve got more exciting plans for our London customers, and Andrew will lead that work.”
According to the Evening Standard, the capital is a hugely profitable area for the grocer, which sees a higher turnover from stores inside the M25 than it makes from embattled US offering Fresh & Easy and Yaxley is poised to capitalise on this strength.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, Yaxley said: “The customer profile is very different in London and more extreme than the rest of the country.
“There is a higher proportion of young adults, upmarket customers and a greater ethnic mix.”
