4) Steve Strachota, Tesco’s UK and Ireland distribution director
Strachota hit the mainstream media headlines, and the front page of Motor Transport, in the summer when he posted a tweet that appeared to celebrate the closure of five depots and opening of three new ones, adding: “Awesome teamwork, courageous leadership, a bit of luck”.
The tweet, which Tesco apologised for, referred to the ongoing restructuring of Tesco’s distribution centre network and highlighted the high profile nature of the task Strachota faces daily. It is still the giant of retail with a 30% share of Britain’s supermarket sector, compared to Asda’s and Sainsbury's circa 17% share each - that’s a hell of a lot of stuff to move.
So much so that Tesco subsidiary Tesco Distribution Ltd had a turnover of £1.68bn in the year-ending 23 February 2013, it did make a net loss, but that was due to property related concerns. Equally it had an average of 12,588 employees during the time down slightly from the previous year’s 13,273.
The size of the division, the uniqueness of Tesco in the British retail market, and the spotlight of the national media put Strachota at the top of the retail distribution game.
