Sainsbury’s retail director Ken McMeikan is taking a three-month sabbatical from the grocer.

McMeikan joined Sainsbury’s in 2005 when he jumped ship from rival Tesco after 14 years.

The highlight of McMeikan’s career was leading the acquisition of convenience chain Adminstore and its integration into the Tesco estate.

Like-for-like sales at Sainsbury’s, excluding petrol, rose 3.7 per cent in the 12 weeks to December 29, ahead of analysts’ forecasts. Total sales increased 4.7 per cent in the period, excluding petrol.