German discount grocer Aldi has asked its managing director for buying in Australia to head up its UK operations.
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Matthew Barnes, who has worked within the Australian business for around three years, replaces former UK managing director Paul Foley, it is understood.
Foley, who had spent 20 years at the German discount giant, announced he was leaving the business by “mutual consent” in August. Aldi, a notoriously private business, declined to comment further on Foley’s departure. Its statement said that its former UK boss was “widely credited as challenging and changing traditional market perceptions to establish Aldi as a leading brand offering high-quality and best-value products”.
Aldi stalwart Armin Burger, acted on an interim basis.
Prior to going to Australia, Barnes was a regional director in the UK, and opened the grocer’s first city centre, more upmarket store in Manchester.
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By GlobalDataPrivately-owned Aldi revealed earlier this month that its business in the UK and Ireland enjoyed strong sales and earnings growth in 2008.
In a filing at Companies House, Aldi booked retained profits of GBP73.6m (US$117m) for the 12 months to 31 December 2008 – up from GBP59.8m a year earlier.
Group turnover for 2008 stood at GBP2.01bn – up from GBP1.53bn in 2007.
