Tesco's Chairman becomes more involved ahead of newly appointed CEO's arrival

Tesco's Chairman, Sir Richard Broadbent, is believed to have become more involved

in the management of the UK's largest retailer group, to ensure a smoother transition when newly appointed CEO Dave Lewis joins the team on October 1.

Broadbent is thought to be working more intimately with ousted CEO Philip Clarke, who will step down from his role upon Lewis's arrival, but has agreed to remain with the retailer and offer management support until the end of January 2015.

Lewis, who currently overseas Unilever's personal care division, is said to need all the support he can get once he takes on his new role, as he is set to tackle similar legacy problems, which his predecessor Clarke was unable to turnaround, including pricing, product, stores and growing competition.

“We've always thought that Philip Clarke was a street-fighter, and his inheritance from the once highly regarded Terry Leahy was very poor,” commented Nick Bubb, independent retail analyst, on Tesco's new appointment. “But he was always going to find it hard to survive another profit warning.

“Dave Lewis knows nothing about retailing, but maybe that doesn't matter, because as a leading supplier he certainly knows how to win price wars and perhaps that is the big issue now facing Tesco in the UK.”