Shape up or get out Tesco chiefs told

Shape up or get out Tesco chiefs toldTesco’s senior team could find themselves heading to the gym to try to get on-side with their new fitness fanatic boss, Dave Lewis, after he admitted that there will be management changes, because “there has to be”.
The obsession with fitness at a top level within Tesco is legendary, although quite how former boss Philip Clarke – who was hardly a work-out addict – fitted in is not known. Lewis’ reported running obsession began when he agreed to take part in the (Unilever-sponsored) Flora London marathon.
It has even been claimed by one Havas EHS insider that ex-boss Matt Atkinson forged a strong relationship with the senior Tesco team by running marathons with them and through his Iron Man pursuits.
Whether Atkinson keeps hold of his job as chief creative officer remains to be seen, although in an interview posted on YouTube, Lewis admitted senior roles will be under review. He said: “Will there be changes? Let’s be honest, there has to be. We don’t want the trends affecting our business to carry on. If I need to, I will change things. I will make those calls.”
Lewis, who gained the nickname “drastic Dave” while at Unilever, said his first week in charge had been “quite a rollercoaster” but added that he would not shy away from the “difficult calls” that need to be made.
“I do think it’s pretty clear we have to get back to the core of our business in price, availability, and service. What it is that customers need from us so that they reward us with their loyalty,” he said.
But agency bosses trying to woo him with a trip to the Côte d’Azur had better think again. In a separate interview earlier this week, Lewis told the Standard: “In personal care [at Unilever], we won something like 50 Lion awards at the Cannes advertising festival. I’ve never been to Cannes; I have no desire to go to Cannes. They did the work, I just created the environment and the stimulus.”

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