Interim Country Chief Executive for Retail

Establish the trading priorities

Develop a reliable view of customer behaviour, category economics, store contribution and cash requirements. Examine whether current performance is driven by underlying trading, temporary promotional activity or decisions that defer cost. Identify where the proposition has become unclear and where operational inconsistency weakens the intended customer offer.

Agree a focused operating plan with the governing body. Lead decisions on commercial priorities, resource allocation and management accountability within delegated authority. Ensure that buying, supply chain, digital, property and store operations work from compatible assumptions. A price initiative must account for supplier economics and execution; a range change must be supported by replenishment and store capability.

Country leadership in the operating detail

Maintain regular contact with stores and customer-facing teams while preserving clear management responsibility. Resolve cross-functional disputes that prevent action. Review critical controls around product safety, cash, inventory and customer information with the accountable specialists. Material changes to the estate, capital programme or enterprise risk appetite require the relevant approval.

Build a management team that can distinguish short-term trading responses from structural choices. Communicate priorities in terms that store leaders can act on, and remove competing demands when capacity is constrained. Employee matters must follow appropriate processes and local requirements.

Selection and the permanent leadership handover

Applicants should have led a substantial retail business or comparable consumer operation with direct profit, cash and people accountability. They must demonstrate judgement across commercial and operational disciplines. Applications should explain a difficult trade-off between customer value and financial performance, including its eventual consequences.

The successor should inherit a coherent trading plan, trustworthy performance information and an effective leadership cadence. Success will be assessed through sustainable commercial performance, availability, customer retention and disciplined cash use. The business must be capable of continuing the plan without depending on the interim executive to resolve every important operating decision.