Tuesday 13 January 2015

Dalton Philips - a casualty of a time-warp breakout?

Appointed to pull Morrisons into the 21st Century via an injection of IT, global vision and democracy, Philips managed the five-year programme of heavy lifting, but was undone by the middle-squeezing impact of Waitrose and the discounters, at a time when a return to basics was required in retail…

In the interim, with his down-to-earth, common-sense approach, Andrew Higginson will reduce the Morrisons’ message to basics and go for growth via a shift from back to front margin, a focus on pricing and a search for a like-minded replacement CEO.

The new team will build on Philips’ improvement in operating systems, and moves into convenience and online.

Within the business, the new chairman and CEO will sound and feel like Ken Morrison, which will not only provide internal reassurance, but will also ensure a couple of years’ silent tolerance from at least one key shareholder…

Back to the future for Morrisons?
Meanwhile, NAMs need to anticipate a return to the old Morrisons, but manage a retailer that is super-charged with the benefits of a visit to the future… 

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