Mark Horgan, the executive lined up to become Sainsbury’s next marketing director, will not join the company, the UK retailer has revealed in a surprise announcement.

Horgan has decided against taking the role for “personal reasons”, the UK’s third-largest retailer said. Sainsbury’s had announced in August that Horgan would join as marketing director within six months. It said yesterday (14 December) that it would announce a new marketing director “in due course”.

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Sainsbury’s, meanwhile, also revealed that Claire Harrison-Church, its director of brand communications, will leave the retailer in February to “pursue other opportunities”.

Harrison-Church was responsible for Sainsbury’s ‘Feed Your Family For £50’ campaign and its recent brand repositioning under the ‘Live Well For Less’ slogan.

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