Mark McCammond has returned to Spar as managing director of Spar wholesaler Appleby Westward.

McCammond, who takes up the role in December, was retail operations director at fellow Spar wholesaler Henderson Group for eight years before moving to Sainsbury’s in 2009 as regional MD for convenience.

He replaces John Pattison, who resigned in July after two-and-a-half years in the role and is due to leave the wholesaler by the end of the month. Former Appleby Westward MD Ian Connell will act as interim MD until McCammond joins.

McCammond was known as an innovator at Henderson, particularly in the food-to-go sector. He introduced a number of brands to Spar, including Kitsu noodles, Treehouse smoothie bars and Censa Fairtrade coffee. He was also the first to introduce self-service checkouts in Northern Ireland.

At Sainsbury’s he was charged with expanding Sainsbury’s Local stores in the north. Earlier this month, Sainsbury’s opened its 400th Local, in Wolverhampton. Other ­recent openings include Warrington and Newcastle.

“I am delighted to appoint Mark,” said Appleby Westward chairman and BWG Group CEO Leo Crawford. “He has more than 20 years grocery retail experience and is no stranger to the Spar family, having previously worked with the Henderson Group. His previous experience with the Northern Ireland Co-op, Iceland and Sainsbury’s ­ensures that Appleby Westward has ­recruited a top-class ­professional.”

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