Asda has announced the appointment of Tom Hampson to its Customer and Marketing senior leadership team. Tom will join the business in June as Vice President – Marketing, reporting to Rachel Eyre, Chief Customer Officer. He will lead the marketing teams across both the Asda and George brands.
Tom brings significant retail experience, having held senior marketing roles at Sainsbury’s, Mamas & Papas, Morrisons and most recently B&Q. Throughout his career, he has delivered brand transformation, customer insight strategies and digital development programmes across major UK retailers. He is known for modernising marketing organisations and building performance-driven teams capable of competing in highly challenging and price-sensitive markets.
Rachel Eyre described Tom as an experienced and passionate marketing leader with a strong track record in driving transformation and growth. His expertise in customer insight, proposition development and team leadership will support Asda’s next phase of growth for two of Britain’s most recognisable retail brands.
Why Asda Needs a Strong Marketing Leader
In today’s retail environment, Asda does not simply need an advertising manager — it needs a strategic marketing leader.
A true marketing manager is not just responsible for campaigns or media buying. Advertising is only one part of the role. A modern marketing leader must deeply understand consumer behaviour, shopping psychology and shifting market trends. They must analyse why customers choose one retailer over another, what influences basket size, how store location affects footfall, and how pricing perception shapes brand loyalty.
A strong marketing manager:
-
Develops compelling product propositions that attract new customers.
-
Identifies gaps in the market and turns them into growth opportunities.
-
Creates strategies that increase footfall — sometimes without heavy advertising spend.
-
Aligns pricing, promotions, product mix and in-store experience with customer expectations.
-
Uses data and insight to anticipate trends rather than react to competitors.
Retail growth today is driven by understanding customers at a behavioural level — why they switch, why they stay, and what motivates them to visit a store in the first place.
Marketing in food retail is about creating value perception, relevance and trust. It involves shaping the offer, strengthening brand positioning, and designing strategies that bring people through the doors — whether through community engagement, range differentiation, private label innovation, or digital integration.
If executed effectively, a strong marketing strategy can:
-
Increase store traffic without relying solely on discounting.
-
Improve customer loyalty and lifetime value.
-
Strengthen brand equity in a competitive market.
-
Drive sustainable long-term growth rather than short-term promotional spikes.
Tom Hampson’s appointment signals that Asda recognises the need for strategic marketing leadership — someone who understands that marketing is not just communication, but a core driver of commercial performance.
In a competitive UK grocery market, the right marketing leadership can make a measurable difference between stagnation and growth.