THE START date of Tesco's new boss Ken Murphy has been pushed back as he is forced to see out a non-compete agreement.

The supermarket giant announced in October last year that chief executive Dave Lewis will step down this summer, and will be succeeded by Walgreens Boots Alliance veteran Murphy.

However, the grocer said yesterday that Murphy will be unable to start until 1 October — a year after his appointment was announced.

The delay is due to contractual commitments, including a noncompete clause, with Walgreens Boots Alliance.

Lewis, who said he was stepping down for personal reasons following the successful turnaround of the business, has agreed to stay in the top job until 30 September to "facilitate a smooth and seamless handover".

The start date means Murphy will join the company just a week before it is due to publish its half year results for 2020/21.

According to October's announcement he will receive a basic salary of £1.35m per year.

(c) 2020 City A.M., source Newspaper