UK supermarket chain Asda has appointed former head of Morrisons David Potts as its new chief executive, replacing Allan Leighton.

Potts began his career on the Tesco shop floor as a teenager, eventually rising to run its UK, Ireland and Asia operations. In 2015, he was appointed chief executive of Morrisons, where he oversaw an expansion of its wholesale and convenience options as well as its transition to private ownership before departing in 2023.

Leighton, who has led Asda as its executive chairman since 2024, will move to the role of non-executive chairman as previously planned, focusing on the long-term strategic direction of the chain.

He said of Potts’s appointment: “I am really excited to have appointed David as Group chief executive. Over the last two years, we have stabilised the business and returned it to some growth and begun to establish Asda as ‘more than a supermarket’ through our Formula for Growth strategy.

“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.”

Potts said in a statement that Asda has made “good progress”, but that significant opportunities remain. The business will focus on maintaining low prices during the Christmas period, he added.

Asda is currently struggling with heavy competition from low-cost German retailers Aldi and Lidl as well as high levels of debt. In August, the supermarket announced it would outsource 3,500 cleaning jobs as part of a wider restructuring intended to cut costs.

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