Tesco has confirmed that John Allan will step down from his role as chair of the board and director from 16 June 2023.

Earlier this month, the Guardian newspaper reported that four women had accused Allan of inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour.

According to reports, one of the allegations is connected to Allan’s time at Tesco, while the other three took place when he was part of business lobby group at the Confederation of British Industry.

Allan has denied three of the allegations and apologised for one.

Tesco said it has carried out an investigation into one of the allegations relating to Tesco’s 2022 AGM, which involved carrying out a review of video footage and internal complaints records. Tesco also invited attendees and employees to come forward with any concerns.

The internal review did not find an evidence or complaints in relation to Allan at the event.

Byron Grote has been appointed as interim chair whilst Tesco looks for someone to take up the role permanently. He is currently senior independent director (SID) and chair of the audit committee and will be replaced by Stewart Gilliland as SID and Karen Whitworth as chair of the audit committee from 16 June 2023.

Commenting on the news Grote said: "John has made a valuable contribution to Tesco during his eight years as chair. He has successfully led the Board through the turnaround and Covid whilst helping to rebuild the business.

“While we have received no complaints about John's conduct and made no findings of wrongdoing, these allegations risk becoming a distraction to Tesco. On behalf of the board, I thank him for his substantial contribution to the business. We are well advanced in our search for a new chair and will make an announcement in due course."

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