Three execs cut from Woolworths team
Woolworths has sacked three executives from their fresh food buying team for breaching the company’s code of conduct.
The breaches are thought to relate to supply arrangements made with wholesalers at the Sydney Market, but this has yet to be confirmed.
“Woolworths recently investigated an alleged breach of the company’s code of conduct,” a Woolworths spokeswoman told The Australian. “We have a zero-tolerance approach for any breach of policy and unfortunately had to make the difficult decision to terminate the employment of three staff members.”
The shake-up has seen the General Manager of Woolworths’ gourmet grocer subsidiary Thomas Dux, Pat McEntee, move to the post of head of fresh food buying.
The news comes as the fight for the fresh food dollar intensifies with all the major supermarket chains in Australia highlighting their fresh food division as one of the key areas of improvement. In results released over the past fortnight, Franklins, IGA, Woolworths and Coles have all indicated that fresh food sales had been a major driver of sales growth.
FACT: there were 4 not 3 employees terminated. One was pushed after 40 years of service!
FACT: There was no breach of company policy with 3/4 of the employees terminated.
FACT: There were no arrangements made b/w any market agents and buyers. One has to wonder about arrangements b/w a certain market agent and a certain high ranking person who is still there though.
FACT: The market agent in question IS STILL TRADING with Woolworths. I guess he just has a lot of pull??? 😉
FACT: It was timely that it coincided with the current slash & burn agenda.
IN CONCLUSION: It’s a shame that certain individulas can set agenda’s outside the realms of standard company practice in order to service their own next step to a CEO position.