John Lewis Partnership has named Tom Denyard as its new managing director of Waitrose.
The executive is set to join the partnership in January, succeeding James Bailey who is leaving Waitrose at the end of September.
The brand’s current retail director Tina Mitchell is stepping up as interim managing director until Denyard arrives.
“I’m incredibly proud and excited to take on the role of managing director for Waitrose and join a broader partnership I hugely admire. Waitrose is a brilliant brand with wonderful values and fantastic partners, which bring them to life day in and day out for our customers,” he said.
“I can’t wait to start the work of building on the terrific progress James and the whole team have made in enhancing the customer offer in recent years, and ensuring Waitrose is the destination for quality food and outstanding service.”
Denyard most recently worked at Tesco where he held a number of senior roles, including managing director of Tesco online since 2022, CEO of Tesco Mobile from 2019 to 2022 and COO of Tesco stores in Malaysia from 2018 to 2019.
He also held various positions in food buying at the supermarket.
Additionally, the he served as Marks & Spencer head of brand for food from 2011 to 2012.
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John Lewis Partnership chairman Jason Tarry said: “I’m delighted to appoint Tom as the managing director for Waitrose. Tom’s blend of brand, customer, commercial and operational experience make him the ideal person to take the business forward.
“I’m confident that under his guidance, Waitrose will continue to thrive and innovate, delivering exceptional quality and service to our customers, building on the impressive progress made by James Bailey and the Waitrose team.”
In March, Waitrose recruited Sainsbury’s director Alex Lovell to be its new head of loyalty ahead of the relaunch of MyWaitrose.
Lovell had spent the last 11 years at Sainsbury’s as its head of loyalty, head of brand growth, and most recently as customer director for its Smart Charge EV business.
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