Asda executive director Doug Gurr is to exit the retailer in January with his responsibilities will be absorbed by the grocer’s management team.

Gurr, who was responsible for strategy, logistics and multichannel, will depart Asda on January 4. He will spend three months helping Asda chairman Andy Bond with Walmart’s Massmart acquisition in South Africa, and will leave in March when his plans are then unknown.

Asda chief executive Andy Clarke has distributed Gurr’s responsibilities. Incoming chief operating officer Simon King, who joins on January 10, will take on new business and IT as well as look after retail, supply chain, distribution, customer service and internal communications. Chief finance officer Judith McKenna will be responsible for retail development as well as finance. Property development director Steve Masters and his team will report into McKenna.

Until completion of Asda’s Netto acquisition, its supermarkets division, led by Karen Hubbard, will also report to McKenna.

Clarke said during Gurr’s tenure that he “transformed Asda.com into Britain’s second-biggest home shopping service, launched Asda Direct, built a sizeable financial services business and rolled out in-store collection to more than 300 stores”.