David Potts, the former boss of Tesco in Ireland and Asia, has been appointed as the new chief executive of Morrisons.

Potts, who has 40 years’ experience in retail, will join on 16 March and his recruitment follows the departure of Dalton Philips earlier this year after a run of poor results for the Bradford-based supermarket chain.

Andrew Higginson, chairman of Morrisons, said: “I am delighted to welcome David as our new CEO. David is the best retailer I have worked with in 25 years in the industry. Having worked alongside him for 15 years, I know he will bring to Morrisons a focus on the customer, a track record of delivery, flair, talent, and immense energy to his new role. He will lead our colleagues in the business from the front, and with distinction. David’s skills are complementary to those of our excellent CFO, Trevor Strain, and I believe we have the makings of a good team. I would like to thank Trevor for his support over the last few weeks.”

Potts began his career with Tesco in 1973 and rose to become retail director in the UK and chief executive of its Irish businesses. He subsequently became chief executive of its Asian business. Since leaving Tesco in 2011, he has acted as a retail expert to several international advisory and private equity businesses.