Safeway has made a number of changes to its senior management team shortly after store format director Roger Ramsden quit the food chain. However a spokeswoman insisted the two moves were not connected. Ramsden became famous last year when as marketing director he became the first of Safeway's top executives to work a six-month stint as a store manager. This time last year, while he was still in charge of Safeway's High Wycombe store, Ramsden told The Grocer: "I'm having a wonderful time, some of the most exciting days I've had in years." By September Ramsden had returned to head office to fill the post of format director. However, Safeway insiders say Ramsden was an "intellectual marketeer" who found it hard to settle into his new role. He left a couple of weeks ago to do his own thing. The split is said to be amicable. This week Safeway announced that Jack Sinclair, who had been trading director since last year, had been appointed to the new position of managing director operations. He will be directly accountable to chief executive Carlos Criado-Perez for store operations, marketing and trading, and will chair the operating board. Stores director Jim Maclachlan has become deputy managing director operations, with responsibility for all Safeway's format activity in addition to his existing responsibility for store operations. He will also act as deputy chairman of the operating board. John Durkan, the former commercial director in charge of grocery, bakery and beers wines and spirits, has taken over as trading director. Durkan, marketing director Karen Bray and technical director Liz Kynoch will report to Sinclair. Criado-Perez commented on the new appointments: "These changes will strengthen our ability to achieve the stretching goals we have set ourselves for this year. "They will reinforce the effective teamworking between trading, retail and marketing which has been the key to our success over the past 18 months." {{NEWS }}

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