Tesco Chairman Quits Due to Inappropriate Behavior Allegations

Tesco plc, a British groceries and general merchandise retailer based in England, is set to lose its chairman after it was revealed that he is leaving the company next month. John Allan will step down due to allegations of inappropriate behavior against him.

As per Reuters, Allan will officially quit at the upcoming annual shareholders meeting. Tesco said that the misconduct claims leveled against the chairman may become a distraction to the business thus, the executive is vacating his post.

The 74-year-old Allan is said to be one of the highest-profile executives in the corporate world in Britain. In fact, he has always appeared in British media publishings where he comments on retail and general business matters.

He has been serving as Tesco's chairman since 2015, and the retail chain confirmed not long ago that his tenure is ending shortly. Allan is also serving as the chairman of Barratt Developments, a home construction company. It was disclosed that he is also stepping down from this role in September.

At any rate, BBC News reported that the outgoing Tesco chairman strongly denied the accusations made against him. He refuted three out of the four claims.

"It is with regret that I am having to prematurely stand down from my position as chair of Tesco following the anonymous and unsubstantiated allegations made against me," Allan reportedly said.

The inappropriate behavior claims involve a Tesco employee who said that Allan touched her during the annual shareholder meeting last year. There was also an allegation saying that he "grabbed" staff at a Confederation of British Industry (CBI) event in 2019. He previously denied this as well.

In 2021, Allan was said to have made a comment about a CBI employee's dress and bottom, but he said he does not recall this incident. The only case he admitted was making a comment in 2019 where he told a female employee that her dress fits her figure well. Based on the reports, he felt embarrassed after the comment and apologized to the woman at once.

For the rest of the claims, Allan stated that the accusations were totally baseless and that internal procedures made by Tesco had already proved this. "There is no evidence of any wrongdoing at that time or at any stage of my chairmanship at Tesco and I remain determined to prove my innocence," he said.

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