Tesco’s managing director of food Gordon Gafa is to leave the retailer after more than than 15 years with the supermarket, The Grocer can reveal.
The news was announced to staff by Tesco UK CEO Ashwin Prasad in a note today, which revealed that from today Tesco’s commercial directors would report directly to him.
Prasad praised Gafa’s “key role” in boosting Tesco’s relationship with suppliers.
He will leave at the end of December.
Gafa was promoted to the MD role in June last year, having previously served as commercial director from 2022-2025 and before that in a raft of category director roles.
He has also played a a key role in Tesco new “food first” strategy, which has seen the UK’s biggest supermarket vow to deliver the best in quality as well as market share, with Tesco taking a leaf out of Sainsbury’s book, as well as gunning for upmarket rivals such as Waitrose and M&S.
He told Tesco’s IGD Business Update in April that its key priority was to encourage a “food first retail ecosystem”, which would see Tesco “deliver the best quality and innovation in food”.
Earlier this month, Gafa spoke at the IGD’s Future of the UK Food System, at which he said Tesco was calling for the government to pursue the introduction of mandatory health reporting and planning reform, amid the threat to supply chain resilience.
In June 2023, Gafa launched a strong defence of Tesco’s pricing strategies, amid accusations of profiteering from the cost of living crisis, when quizzed by MPs on the UK Parliament’s Business & Trade Committee.
Prasad said: “Gordon has made a huge contribution during his time with us, particularly over the last 18 months as managing director of food & commercial operations and a member of the UK leadership team.
“He has played a key role building momentum across our food business, strengthening our relationships with suppliers, and creating a more collaborative commercial culture, while keeping us focused on delivering value and quality for customers. He has also helped us navigate a number of external challenges, keeping our supply chains resilient while building a strong commercial team.
“On a personal note, I’d like to thank Gordon for everything he has done for Tesco over the years. I know many of you will join me in wishing him every success for the future.”
Prasad said Tesco’s focus was firmly fixed on the “golden quarter” run in to Christmas.
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