George Dymond, the Morrisons executive who resigned weeks after moving from Australia, was offered a different role within the business on arrival, The Grocer has learned.

A source close to Dymond said the former Coles executive, who was hired to take a senior role running Morrisons’ online operation, was quickly offered a more trading-based role but turned it down.

It is believed he was keen on a move away from trading, having previously been group general manager of merchandise at Coles and trading director for Carphone Warehouse.

“It’s pitiful and summarises where Morrisons is right now. You can’t do this to people at this level,” said the source.

The online operation, which is to be expanded into West Yorkshire next week, will not be affected by the saga, as Dymond was due to spend the first several months of the year on an induction programme rather than working directly on the online rollout.

Morrisons refused to discuss individual employees, but said there was still plenty of good people working on the online team, headed by online food MD Simon Thompson, and it was pleased with the way things were going.

Morrisons made its first online deliveries in Warwickshire on 10 January, and the spokesman said there had been “very few glitches”.

After moving into West Yorkshire, Morrisons will launch the service in London and South Yorkshire in the summer before starting deliveries in the North West by the end of the year.

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