Leon’s exit prompts Coles restructure

By James Atkinson

Coles multichannel boss Brendan Sweeney now has additional overarching responsibility for liquor and hotels under a further restructure resulting from the announcement of Tony Leon's impending retirement.

Leon's replacement as general manager of liquor, Andrew Charlton, as well as Spirit Hotels general manager Andrew Griffiths, will report to Sweeney under his newly expanded role.

The new management structure announced by Coles managing director Ian McLeod follows several other senior appointments within the liquor team reported in TheShout last week.

"As part of these changes, we have specifically focused on moving the right people into the right roles to help us drive the Coles difference over the next five years," McLeod said in an internal memorandum.

"I am very grateful for the significant contribution that 'The Leon' has made to the Coles turnaround over the last five years in restructuring the liquor business and building a solid platform for future success," McLeod said.

"With the combination of Brendan and 'the two Andrews' at the helm, I am extremely confident that Coles Liquor and Hotels are in very good hands and will continue this year's terrific progress." 

Sweeney has led the multichannel team since he joined Coles last year and has significant global retail and merchandise experience with Phones4U Group, John Lewis and Rank Hovis McDougall in the UK.