Clive Beddall Allan Leighton has insisted his shock decision to quit Wal-Mart was not prompted by any rows with his bosses in Bentonville. Speaking exclusively to The Grocer, Leighton said Wal-Mart had tried to make him stay. "I know people may write that I have had a row with the Americans. But that is simply not true. I believe that, at 47, it is time to do other things," he said. "The legacy here is a great one. The Wal-Mart acquisition has gone even better than I thought it would. The relationships between the two companies is wonderful and Wal-Mart have been fantastic about my decision. "I am still a good friend of Lee Scott [Wal-Mart's president and CEO] and we will remain friends." Leighton also rejected speculation that a slowdown in Asda's sales growth was behind the timing of his announcement. Rival retailers have been speculating for weeks whether Leighton would leave before the slowdown got any worse. Only last week, analysts were saying the latest Taylor Nelson Sofres market share figures demonstrated that Asda's growth, while still excellent, was not enough to meet its target of doubling sales over five years. But Leighton told us: "It's alright for analysts and others to talk about dips in our market share. "But I would say to the critics that looking at one month's statistics means nothing. You should compare like for like at least on a three month basis. "And remember how the recent Wal-Mart results pointed to us exceeding our sales and earnings plan." - Leighton also denied that he was moving to M&S, and pledged any new jobs he took would not put him in direct competition with Wal-Mart. See page 10 for full details. {{NEWS }}