Walmart replaces Andy Clarke as Asda chief executive

Asda boss Andy Clarke is to leave the supermarket at the end of next month. Picture: Contributed

Sean Clarke, who has held top roles for Walmart in Japan and Canada, will become Asda’s chief executive on 11 July.

The move came as a surprise, as Clarke suggested to trade magazine Retail Week last week that he would be succeeded by incoming chief operating officer Roger Burnley after an unspecified handover period.

However, Walmart said yesterday that Burnley will instead become deputy chief executive and chief operating officer, and that Clarke will leave the company at the end of July, after which he will be an adviser until the end of the year.

Clarke has been chief executive of Asda, Scotland’s second-biggest food retailer, for six years, and leaves a group struggling after seven consecutive quarter of falling sales.