Asda has appointed former Sainsbury’s fresh foods director Charlotte Rhodes as its new head of own label.
Rhodes will join the business on 1 December as vice president of own brand, reporting into Asda’s new chief customer officer Rachel Eyre, as part of a new-look customer team.
It marks a return to UK grocery for Rhodes, who has spent the past decade in Australia, with Coles. She’s held a number of senior category management roles, including nearly three years as general manager for own brand, quality and sustainable sourcing.
Prior to joining Coles she spent 22 years at Sainsbury’s, latterly as fresh food director alongside former Waitrose MD James Bailey.
It’s the first time Asda has appointed a dedicated head of own label. However, own-brand responsibilities were previously overseen by former vice president of commercial strategy, own brand, ESG and operations Sam Dickson, who left the business in May to become MD of Squire’s Garden Centres.
“We are delighted to welcome Charlotte to Asda,” said Eyre. “Her deep expertise in brand development will be important as we strengthen our own-brand ranges to ensure they continue to deliver the quality and value that our customers expect.”
Rhodes is Eyre’s first appointment since joining Asda earlier this year from Morrisons to push Asda’s turnaround plan.
Alongside its significant investment in prices, Asda has also been working to improve the quality perception of its own-label ranges to ensure it can compete with the offers of rival supermarkets, which have seen significant own-label growth over the past couple of years.
In May 2024, Asda launched a brand-new premium label Exceptional by Asda, rolling out more than 500 products into stores.
Last week, at the other end of the price spectrum, Asda launched its first-ever lunchtime meal deal. The new offer if priced at £3.74, considerably more competitive than rival non-loyalty offers.
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