Tesco has lost a highly rated executive to Carrefour.

James McCann, the former head of Tesco’s business in Hungary, has been poached by Carrefour to run its French business, according to The Times. He will start in his new role next month.

“James McCann has extensive strategic knowledge of client relationship management, which he acquired during his career at a global retail leader that has made client relationships a key to its success,” Carrefour said.

The appointment comes as chief executive Lars Olofsson battles to turn around a business that has just reported its first quarterly sales increase in a year. It is believed Olofddon aims to instil some of Tesco’s aggression into Carrefour.