Arla Foods UK marketing man moves to Morrisons

Danny Micklethwaite, formerly vice-president of marketing at Arla, has taken up the newly created role of head of development at British supermarket Morrisons, it was reported. Micklethwaite was with Arla for more than 10 years. He will report to own-brand director Belinda Youngs, who has joined Morrisons from Sobeys, a Canadian retailer.
Morrisons chief executive Dalton Philips has identified improvements in own-label as a key area for the supermarket, as own-label products form a smaller proportion of its sales compared with British supermarket rivals. In February, Morrisons hired executive chef Neil Nugent away from Waitrose, where he had led the development of its cookery school initiative.
Fellow UK supermarket Asda has invested heavily in its own-brand products over the past year, introducing the ‘Chosen by you’ mid-tier range, supported by a long-running advertising campaign.