Asda chairman stepped down from his role on New Years Day, less than 12 months after his jump to the newly-created position.
Asda today confirmed, "as of the beginning of 2011 Andy Bond left his role as Asda chairman".

However, despite his departure from Asda, Mr Bond will continue to oversee and finalise the acquisition of South African grocer Massmart by Asda parent Walmart, as well as the integration of the two businesses. The assignment is expected to be completed by the end of March, when Mr Bond will then leave Walmart.

Last April Andy Bond stepped down from the day-to-day running of the supermarket chain to focus on the "Walmart/Massmart transaction", with his move to the new role of chairman of Asda's executive committee. Former Asda chief operating officer Andy Clarke succeeded him in his position as ceo.

Mr Bond, who joined Asda 16 years ago, said it had been a real privilege to be ceo and that "Asda is, and will always be, a part of who I am".

In an internal memo circulated to colleagues in the US and UK, Walmart International president and ceo Doug McMillon highlighted the "tremendous growth" at Asda during Mr Bond's five-year tenure as ceo. He called him, "a brilliant merchant, a strong leader and an effective manager and, most recently, has been and will continue to be instrumental in our efforts to acquire a majority stake in Massmart".

Andy Clarke thanked Mr Bond for making his transition into the ceo role so smooth and seamless, adding: "Asda is what it is today, because of his leadership".