Jan Fuchs has become the latest senior executive to leave Russian retailer X5 Retail Group.
Fuchs, the head of X5's hypermarket operations, had "decided to leave the company", X5 said in a statement yesterday evening (28 August).
The former Rewe executive only joined X5 in November and his departure will add to the uncertainty surrounding the company.
Last month, X5 said CEO Andrei Gusev had resigned from the business after just a year in the role. The company has yet to appoint a permanent replacement, with director Stephan DuCharme in charge on a temporary basis.
X5's sales and margins are growing at a slower rate to its rivals and the company is losing market share. Last week, X5 said its like-for-like sales had dropped by 2.5% in the second quarter, its third consecutive quarter of like-for-like decline.
Analysts have suggested X5's recent performance could be partly explained by changes to its management team. As well as Fuchs joining in November, former Lidl executive Frank-Michael Mros was appointed in May to run X5's discount business. Last year, ex-Tesco executive Paul Martins was named commercial director.
Alongside Fuchs' exit, X5 said Valeriy Tarakanov, head of its convenience stores, would now lead its supermarket chain. Igor Sotnikov, general director of the supermarket format, has been appointed director of logistics, replacing Alexander Ermolenko, who has decided to leave the retailer.
