Behind every great leader…

On the day he signed off, Morrisons made Sir Ken an honorary president, befitting the inspirational leadership he has given to the Bradford grocer.

But, amid all the ballyhoo and column inches about the great man, the sterling work of chief executive Marc Bolland has largely been glossed over.

It’s fair to say that Bolland has surprised many in the industry with the scale and speed of his turnaround of Morrisons, after taking the helm in September 2006.

Many thought the amiable Dutchman, who made his name as chief operating officer at brewer Heineken, would struggle to make his mark in the foreign world of UK retailing, given the ruthless competition a struggling Morrisons faced from Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s.

This week, Morrisons delivered a whopping 66 per cent increase in pre-tax profits to£612 million, on like-for-like sales up 4.6 per cent for the 12 months to February 3, excluding fuel.

Bolland has achieved all of this by evolution, not revolution and by sticking to Sir Ken’s principles of delivering a quality offer in fresh food and produce, alongside highly competitive prices.

The Dutchman has also proved he is capable of increasing Morrisons’ sales at a faster rate in Scotland and the south of England than its northern heartland. Bolland acknowledged the impact the ad campaign led by celebrities Lulu, Alan Hansen and Denise Van Outen has had on sales, but yesterday emphasised that the customers Morrisons had gained in November and December kept coming back through its doors during January, when it scaled back on the level of TV advertising.

He also stressed that it had drawn more women and younger-generation customers. The renewed confidence of Morrisons and the healthy state of its balance sheet was further highlighted by its decision to return£1 billion to shareholders.

The only potential clouds on Bolland’s horizon over the next year appear to be a retaliation on price from Asda and Tesco, as well as its momentum being slowed by a large-scale IT transformation programme, which holds myriad risks, as Sainsbury’s found out four or five years ago.

However, as Sir Ken hangs up his famous Morrisons tie and starts his retirement, the grocer is in great shape.

Last night, at the industry’s Oscars – the Retail Week Awards – Sir Ken was showered in adulation and feted with a lifetime achievement award, which he richly deserved. But maybe Bolland also deserved a toast from the great man himself for helping to send him out on a high. More realistically, a simple “Ta very much, lad” probably sufficed.