Former Allders boss 'in talks to join Tesco'
The boss of department stores group Allders when it collapsed earlier this year is in talks to join supermarket giant Tesco, it was reported today.
Terry Green, 53, is understood to have been in discussions with Tesco for a number of weeks about heading up its clothing business.
A successful outcome to the talks would mark his return to the retail sector just six months after Allders collapsed with the loss of more than 2,500 jobs.
According to The Sunday Times, Mr Green would replace former Burton boss John Hoerner who joined Tesco in 2001 but who recently stepped back from day-to-day involvement to take on a consultancy role.
A spokesman for Tesco declined to comment on the report, which said Mr Green was unlikely to gain a seat on the board if a deal is agreed.
Tesco nets £1 in every £8 spent by UK consumers and has been pushing hard into the clothing market to reduce its reliance on food for sales growth.
In April, Britain’s biggest grocer said sales of products other than food had increased by 17% to £6 billion.
Eye-catching deals on clothing such as £3 jeans have been at the centre of its success, but have also been blamed for putting pressure on high street chains such as Marks & Spencer.
Tesco is preparing to trial a new store format dedicated to selling just non-food products. Branded as Tesco Homeplus, it will launch at sites in Manchester and Aberdeen later this year.
The move will maintain its rivalry with Asda which has three food-free Living stores at Walsall, Altrincham and a retail park near Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
Mr Green built his reputation in the retail sector during a nine-year stint as boss of Debenhams where he is credited with turning around the performance of the department stores chain.
