Two big names at Sainsbury have announced their departure from the business this week.
Chief executive of the Sainsbury-owned Bells Stores Steven Bell has moved on to concentrate on other ventures.
Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s marketing director, Stephen Nelson, will leave this summer to take up the role of retail director at BAA. Nelson joined Sainsbury in July 2003 as trading director and became marketing director in November 2004.
Bell’s retirement comes after Sainsbury restructured its convenience division. Sainsbury kept Bells’ management and logistics in place after it acquired the 54-store chain for £21.6m in February 2004. But it is now amalgamating Bells with Jacksons, which it bought in August.
Bell will concentrate on his
hotel and shop-fitting business and three clothes shops, which he runs with his brother Peter.
Speaking from his holiday home in Malta, Bell said his departure had been “very amicable” and it was best for the development of the convenience division.
Angus Oughtred, managing director of Jacksons, will take up the running of both chains. As MD of Bells and Jacksons stores, he will report directly to Sainsbury’s managing director of convenience, Jim McCarthy. The move is part of a wider shake-up of the division, which includes the creation of a national trading team, based at Jacksons’ headquarters in Hull.
Richard Lancaster, who was head of the Jacksons’ trading team, will lead the new unit. Sainsbury said it was trying to make arrangements for the entire trading team at Bells to join Lancaster in Hull.
A spokeswoman for Sainsbury said the changes had been made to drive interests in convenience and its increasing focus on convenience would lead to the creation of 665 new jobs across Jacksons and Bells in the next two years, to fill roles in categories such as fresh and chilled, as rebranding rolls out.
Fiona McLelland