By Jack Mendel
Morrisons has appointed former Carrefour France boss Rami Baitiéh to take over as the supermarket’s new chief executive.
The current chief executive David Potts, who has been in the role for nine years, will hand over the reins to Baitiéh in November, the firm said today.
Rami Baitiéh said he was “honoured” to be taking up the role, and said Morrisons was “uniquely positioned to grow in the coming years”.
“Morrisons holds a special place for shoppers across the UK, and I am honoured to be joining the business to help build on the strong links the company has with its loyal customers and the communities where it operates,” he said.
Following CD&R’s acquisition of Morrisons, its senior adviser Sir Terry Leahy said Baitiéh was “an exceptionally talented and highly capable leader with a strong track record of driving performance wherever he has been posted”.
Leahy also praised Potts, who “skilfully led the renewal of the Morrisons brand as well as navigating several twists and turns during his tenure, including the COVID pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, but he leaves the company poised for growth”.
Potts said being in the role had been “the privilege of my working life”, and that “Rami is joining a very special company”.
In its recent June results, Morrisons recorded a 0.9 per cent decline in group revenues, blaming a slowdown in sales across its petrol stations.
Earlier in the month, it was reported that the UK’s Motor Fuel Group (MFG) is in talks with Morrisons for 340 fuel retail forecourts in a deal that could be worth about £2bn, the petrol stations giant said.
