Asda has today announced the appointment of Jon Downes as vice president – ambient, further strengthening its commercial senior leadership team. Downes will join the business in August and will report to Darren Blackhurst, chief commercial officer.
Downes joins as an experienced and accomplished commercial leader, having worked across a number of UK retailers, including Tesco, Morrisons and, most recently, M&S, where he has been food commercial operations director since 2024.
In his new role, Downes will be responsible for leading Asda’s ambient category, with a focus on delivering strong commercial results, building collaborative supplier partnerships and supporting Asda’s continued commitment to providing great value and quality for customers.
Darren Blackhurst, chief commercial Officer at Asda, said: “Jon brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record of delivering commercial outcomes that create value for customers, colleagues and suppliers alike. I’m looking forward to working with him as we continue to strengthen our commercial proposition.”
