Comment: Justin King - the man who made Sainsbury’s great again

Retail is blessed with many great characters whose personalities loom large, but few have become quite so synonymous with the success of their business as Justin King, who is to stand down from the top job at Sainsbury’s in July.

The ‘grandfather of grocery’ - a moniker that reflects his stature - delivered his 36th quarter of like-for-like growth over Christmas. The achievement belies the crisis in which he found Sainsbury’s 10 years ago and the threat the financial crash posed to his vision midway through his tenure.

In 2004, King inherited a business, as chairman David Tyler said today, with empty shelves, falling market share, inadequate profits and morale at rock bottom. His mantra - Making Sainsbury’s Great Again - confronted the huge structural challenges facing the grocer in the early years and created the foundations that have underpinned its success since.

But it is the masterful way he reinvigorated and continued to evolve the brand for which his reign will be best remembered. King’s vision for Sainsbury’s was built on his belief he could create a grocer of “universal appeal”, by marrying value and quality. That played out in the success of campaigns such as Brand Match - one example of an intuitive understanding of the core customer. But that enviable track record in marketing reached its pinnacle with the sponsorship of the Paralympic Games. Few marketeers would have been confident aligning disability with a food offer, but Sainsbury’s sponsorship was authentic and convincing.

New boss Mike Coupe will face challenges, particularly in accelerating a presence online and in convenience. But he has been an integral part of the success of the last few years and must take credit for many of the initiatives. Nonetheless, these are huge shoes to fill and the loss of King will be felt both at Sainsbury’s and across the sector.