Tesco has announced the appointment of Tony Hoggett to chief strategy and innovation officer.

Hoggett currently holds the position of chief operating officer at the Big 4 grocer.

In his new position, he is responsible for leading group strategic planning, balancing the short, medium and long-term requirements across the grocer’s businesses.

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According to The Grocer, Tesco announced the promotion in an email, stating that a new position was created as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The supermarket’s chief executive officer Ken Murphy said in the email that Tesco is planning to “face increased competitive pressures and keep up with the industry’s acceleration driven by technology, innovation and changing customer behaviours.”

However, according to the supermarket’s website, Hoggett will be leading the development of new business, customer and technology innovations across the group.

He joined the grocer in 1990 and held a range of leadership roles in the UK and Asia over the past 30 years.

In early 2017 Tony was appointed to the executive committee to take up the role of CEO Asia and then moved to the role of group COO in late 2018.