Collard’s new role also puts him in charge of the company’s own-brand ranges, loyalty, customer relationship management and format. He will join the firm’s management board in June.

He’s been with Morrisons since January 2011 and became marketing and operations director in April last year.

CEO Dalton Philips said: “Nick’s doing a great job in taking our marketing forward and now has the opportunity to lead one team integrating our own brand and customer engagement.”

Other changes see Casper Meijer become group trading director while Belinda Youngs is promoted to corporate brand marketing director, reporting to Collard.

The moves follow a disappointing Christmas for Morrisons, which saw like-for-like sales drop 2.5% in the six-week period to 30 December.