Asda is “back to square one” in its search for a new CEO, as headhunters struggle to encourage retail bosses to take over the position.
Since tasking search firm Spencer Stuart to lead its search for a new boss, insiders have said the supermarket has approached “a whole conveyor belt of people who have turned it down,” The Telegraph reported.
The update comes after Asda recently confirmed Lord Rose would take charge of the grocery giant, after Mohsin Issa stepped back from his executive leadership role.
Rose has taken over the running of the chain, alongside TDR partner Rob Hattrell, the former boss of eBay in Europe and an ex-Tesco executive.
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An industry source said: “It is my understanding that they are starting again and the recruitment pot is empty. It is a car crash.”
However, an insider close to Asda denied this and said Rose’s appointment has given it the opportunity to re-evaluate its options.
“It has afforded us the opportunity to look again,” they argued.
Asda has been contacted for comment.
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