Business · Companies · 2 hrs ago
Asda appoints former Morrisons chief David Potts as CEO
Asda has appointed David Potts as chief executive, with the former Morrisons boss taking the role immediately.
Allan Leighton, who has led Asda since 2024, is stepping back to a non-executive role focused on long-term strategy.
Potts led Morrisons from 2015 to 2023 and previously held senior roles at Tesco.
Asda is struggling to lift sales as it faces strong competition and high debt.
Its sales fell 0.5% in the three months to 4 October, and Aldi is close to overtaking it as the UK’s third-largest supermarket.
Potts says he will focus on improving customers’ shopping experience and keeping prices low, including over Christmas.
He takes over as Asda works to revive the business, with the company saying it has made progress but still has significant opportunities to pursue.
Asda appointed former Morrisons chief executive David Potts as its chief executive with immediate effect.
Executive chair Allan Leighton is stepping back from day-to-day management to a non-executive role.
The appointment follows a long search for a chief executive as Asda struggles to lift sales.
Asda’s sales fell 0.5% in the three months to 4 October, according to Worldpanel by Numerator.
Potts said he would focus on improving the shopping experience and keeping prices low.
- Who
- Asda appointed David Potts, former chief executive of Morrisons, as its chief executive.
- What
- Potts took the role with immediate effect. Allan Leighton is stepping back from day-to-day management to a non-executive role.
- When
- 3 November 2026.
- Where
- Asda, a UK supermarket chain.
- Why
- Asda is seeking to revive its business and lift sales amid heavy competition.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Potts became chief executive of Morrisons.
Potts left Morrisons after leading the supermarket group for eight years.
Leighton returned to lead Asda.
Asda appointed Potts as chief executive with immediate effect.
- New chief executive
- David Potts
- Previous role
- Morrisons chief executive, 2015–2023
- Appointment
- With immediate effect
- Asda sales
- Fell 0.5% in the three months to 4 October
- Asda colleagues
- 116,296
4 sources
What people are saying
Asda has long been a great business, one I’ve admired and traded against over many years.
made good progress but significant opportunities remain
Christmas is upon us and the business has a clear focus on keeping Asda prices locked low at this important time for our customers.
David has an outstanding record in our industry, his experience is exactly what we now require for the next stage of our transformation and beyond and it will be great to work with him.