Tesco hires comms director from Coca-Cola as brand repair job continues
Tesco has brought in Jane Lawrie as group communications director, replacing Rebecca Shelley who left the role earlier this year after four years, the latter of which were spent trying to limit the damage caused to the brand by the accounting scandal.
Jane Laurie Tesco
Lawrie, who will join on the 10 October, will lean heavily on her experience at Coca-Cola where she was, until recently, heading up its European public affairs and communications.
She’s also held similar roles at Diageo and Boots.
“Over the last eighteen months we’ve made good progress in restoring trust in our brand and our business, and Jane will help to continue this improvement,” said chief executive Dave Lewis.
“She has huge expertise and experience, as well as extremely strong values. We’re really looking forward to having her in the team.”
The brand seems to be on the road to recovery following the accounting scandal of 2014 and the subsequent impact of the German discounters Aldi and Lidl, which last year led to one of the biggest losses posted by a high street retailer.
But, as per its most recent result it’s seen back-to-back quarters of sales growth for the first time in five years.
However, it’s currently facing criticism for its recently-introduced Farms range, which has used fictitious farm names on products – such as Woodside Farms and Boswell Farms – in a bid to heighten their perceived quality.
The National Farmers Union (NFU) filed a complaint to National Trading Standards over it, and other supermarkets, using “fake” branding to pass off produce as being British when it may actually have been sourced overseas.
Pork products sold by Tesco under the ‘Woodside Farms’ brand have been found to be from countries like Denmark, while some beef products sold as being from ‘Boswell Farms’ were actually sourced in Ireland.