Head of Food Brands - Leeds

Asda is rapidly expanding its portfolio of foodservice and franchise partnerships as part of its ambition to elevate customer experience, increase footfall, and unlock new commercial opportunities across the estate. The Head of Food Brands will play a pivotal role in shaping and leading this growth. In this senior leadership position, you will set the strategic direction and oversee the performance of multiple franchise food brands operating within Asda stores. You will be accountable for driving commercial success, ensuring operational excellence, and guiding the ongoing brand development of partner concessions. Central to the role is ensuring each franchise delivers an exceptional customer experience, reflects Asda’s values, and contributes meaningfully to Asda’s mission of becoming the UK’s most trusted and convenient retail destination.

You will:

• Franchise Brand Strategy & Leadership: Develop and deliver the strategic roadmap for Asda’s foodservice and franchise brands. Identify new partnership opportunities aligned to customer needs, store formats, and commercial goals. Ensure all brands meet Asda’s quality, price, safety, and customer experience standards.
• Commercial & Financial Management: Lead end-to-end commercial performance with full P&L ownership. Drive contract negotiations, commercial terms, and partnership agreements. Set financial targets, track performance, and optimise revenue and profitability. Identify opportunities to scale franchise formats across the estate and into new channels.
• Brand Performance & Operational Excellence: Oversee operational delivery across all franchise concessions. Ensure consistent standards in food quality, service speed, hygiene, and health & safety. Conduct brand audits, performance reviews, and site visits. Work with Supply Chain, Store Operations, People, and Property teams to support smooth operations.
• Relationship Management: Build strong, collaborative relationships with franchise partners. Act as the senior point of contact for partner brands, resolving issues quickly. Ensure alignment with Asda’s wider customer and commercial strategies.
• Innovation & Customer Experience: Lead new product launches, menu innovation, and customer experience improvements. Use customer insights, market trends, and competitor analysis to shape brand evolution. Ensure brands reflect Asda’s focus on value, quality, and convenience.
• Team & Stakeholder Leadership: Lead and develop a team of Brand Specialists. Provide clear direction, coaching, and performance development. Collaborate closely with Marketing, Property, Legal, Finance, and Retail Operations.

Let’s find out about you:

• Analytical and data driven, skilled in using data to make informed decisions and optimise results.
• Be a strong communicator with great personal skills to work with people at all levels – not just in our business, but also beyond it.
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment, with the ability to manage change and drive results.
• You will be agile and an effective decision maker, willing to move, fail and learn fast.
• Be obsessed about our purpose and our customers.

Everything you’ll love:

To ensure we balance moments where we know we need to collaborate together and the need for flexibility, Asda has a hybrid way of working with a minimum 3 days a week in one of our Home Offices. Over and above this, each area of Asda may have additional requirements which may require spending more days in the office, visiting suppliers, stores or depots. You will also get an excellent benefits package including:

• Discretionary company bonus
• Company pension up 1.5 times colleagues' contribution (Max 15%)
• Company Car allowance of £8000
• 15% colleague discount in store and online
• Free access to wellbeing services such as Stream, 24/7 virtual GP, counselling, health and dental cash plans and a 24/7 employee assistance helpline, alongside discounts across a range of services and activities, from airport parking, enhanced to theme parks and cinemas.
• Asda Allies Inclusion Networks – helping colleagues to make sure everybody is included and that our differences are recognised and celebrated.
• Excellent parental leave policies, including maternity & adoption leave, paternity leave, shared parental leave, neonatal care leave, and support for those doing fertility treatments.

We want all colleagues to be able to bring their best and true selves to work, every day. Simply put, we want our colleagues to be Proud to be Asda and proud to be themselves.