Tesco boss Philip Clarke’s recovery strategy will stand or fall as much by skill of execution as intellectual coherence.

Tesco boss Philip Clarke’s recovery strategy will stand or fall as much by skill of execution as intellectual coherence.

Judging by the anecdotal evidence from the retailer’s in-store launch of the high-profile Love Every Mouthful campaign, designed to strengthen the retailer’s standing in fresh food categories, plans are progressing smoothly from drawing board to shopfloor.

Many Tesco staff clearly made great effort to bring the initiative to life and staff were on-board with the push.

It looked like an impressive realisation of the retailer’s determination to improve range and quality - one of the foundation stones of the Building a Better Tesco in the UK programme - and enhance the in-store experience.

Tesco’s most recent update showed that the horse meat row had hit sales of frozen and convenience lines. The latest drive on food, while unrelated, should help improve general quality perceptions.

Change at Tesco has really only just begun, but the flair shown during this week’s focus on fresh food looked like a welcome step in the right direction. Now, how’s that exit from the US going?

Conviviality Retail on path to success

Directors of offie and c-store business Conviviality Retail will no doubt raise a glass when share trading begins at the end of this month following an AIM listing.

Funds from the share placing will enable backer ECI to be bought out and to wipe out debt. Very good, but what are the retailer’s future prospects?

Forecast alcohol sales growth is good, the directors believe. However, that category is also subject to constant scrutiny by politicians.

Similarly, there’s no doubt the convenience market is growing rapidly but it’s also one in which the big grocers are growing apace.

Conviviality’s leadership team look good. Chief executive Diana Hunter brings experience from Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, while non-executives such as Roger Pedder and David Adams bring plenty of experience.

It’s good too that franchisees will benefit from an incentive plan offering them equity. As Sports Direct showed last week, when the foot soldiers also have skin in the game success is surely more likely.