Mike Coupe

Michael Andrew Coupe (born 26 September 1960) is a British businessman who was the CEO of J Sainsbury plc, parent company of the supermarket chain Sainsbury's, from July 2014 until the end of May 2020.

Mike Coupe
Born
Michael Andrew Coupe

26 September 1960 (1960-09-26) (age 63)
Watford, Hertfordshire, England
EducationThe Weald School, Billingshurst
Alma materUniversity of Birmingham
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1983–present
TitleCEO of Sainsbury's
Term2014–2020
PredecessorJustin King
SuccessorSimon Roberts
Spouse
Jill Parkinson
​
(m. 1990)​
Children2

Early life

Coupe was born in Watford, Hertfordshire in 1960.[1] He grew up in West Sussex.[1] Coupe received a bachelor's degree in Physics from the University of Birmingham in 1982.[1]

Career

Coupe began his career at Unilever, where he became assistant brand manager for Flora margarine.[2][3]

Coupe joined Sainsbury's in 2004.[3] In 2010, he became responsible for the marketing, trading and online operations of the company.[3] In January 2014, Sainsbury's then CEO Justin King announced Coupe as his successor, after stating that he would be leaving the role in June 2014.[4][3]

Soon after Coupe's appointment, he announced a strategic review that aimed to address the challenges caused by a changing retail market.[5] In 2016 he led the takeover of Home Retail Group which included Argos and Habitat.[6]

In March 2018 he announced new pay arrangements for colleagues.[7]

Coupe oversaw digital transformation and investment at Sainsbury’s, including the introduction of the UK's first till-free stores and the digitisation of the Nectar loyalty card through a new app and website.[8]

In January 2020 it was announced that Coupe would retire from his position at the end of May 2020, to be succeeded by Simon Roberts, the company's head of retail and operations.[9][10]

In October 2020, Coupe took a three-month appointment as head of COVID-19 infection testing at NHS Test and Trace, an outsourced agency created by the government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,[11] before being appointed a non-executive director of NHS England from January 2021.[12][13] In 2022 the Runnymede Trust won a High Court action that the public sector equality duty had not been complied in this appointment, with the trust suggesting that people outside the acquaintance of senior Conservative politicians were not considered.[14]

Additionally in January 2021 it was announced that Coupe had been appointed as chairman of Oak Furniture Land.[15]

In July 2021 Coupe was announced as chairman of Harding Brothers Retail Limited.[16]

Personal life

He married Jill Parkinson in Richmond upon Thames in May 1990, and they have two daughters. In recent years he has lived in the Holgate area of York but he frequently travels between London and Yorkshire. He is a keen guitarist and also enjoys photography and cycling.[17]

Coupe became a life patron for GroceryAid in August 2015.[18] He was previously the fundraising president from 2012 to 2014.[19]

Controversies

In April 2018, Coupe took part in interviews in relation to a forthcoming merger between Sainsbury's and Walmart-owned UK subsidiary Asda. After the first interview, during the transition to the next, his microphone remained switched on and he began singing "We're in the Money".[20] The video was widely shared and critiqued. Coupe later released a statement apologising for his "unfortunate choice of song, from the musical 42nd Street", which he had seen the previous year. Sainsbury's issued a further statement: "We all know these songs stay in your head. To attach any wider meaning to this innocent, personal moment is preposterous."[21]

When the merger failed to get approvals, he accused the Competition and Markets Authority of having "fundamentally moved the goalposts... changed the shape of the ball and chosen a completely different playing field" in its analysis. He said that with "a completely unpredictable set of competition rules, who would invest in this country?", telling BBC Radio 4: "This is just outrageous".[22]

In 2019 he was criticised for reducing the amount traditionally paid towards a Christmas party for Argos colleagues, when he sought to bring it in line with money paid towards the Sainsbury’s Christmas party.[23]

References
  1. "5 things you didn't know about new Sainsbury's boss Mike Coupe". City A.M. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  2. Zoe Wood; Sarah Butler. "Mike Coupe: Sainsbury's Mr Straight | Business". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  3. Butler, Sarah (29 January 2014). "Mike Coupe: Justin King's successor at Sainsbury's". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  4. James Davey (29 January 2014). "Sainsbury's CEO Justin King to step down in July". Reuters.
  5. Ruddick, Graham. "Sainsbury's to change strategy as sales fall victim to 'radical' change in shopping habits". Telegraph. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  6. Sean Farrell and Sarah Butler (2 February 2016). "Sainsbury's agrees terms to buy Home Retail Group in £1.3bn deal | Business". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  7. Cox, Josie (6 March 2018). "Sainsbury's announces pay rise for store staff and contract shake-up". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  8. "Sainsbury's launches UK's first till-free grocery store". CityAM. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  9. "Sainsbury's boss Mike Coupe in Surprise Exit". BBC News. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  10. Jolly, Jasper (22 January 2020). "Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe to step down in May". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  11. Serle, Jack (29 September 2020). "Ex-Sainsbury's boss to join beleaguered Test and Trace as NHS chief returns to trust". Health Service Journal. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  12. Chambers, Sam (27 December 2020). "Test and Trace's Mike Coupe lands seat on NHS England board". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  13. "HM Government Public Appointments". Cabinet Office. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2022 – via gov.uk.
  14. Grierson, Jamie (15 February 2022). "Matt Hancock failed to comply with equality duty over Dido Harding appointment, court rules". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  15. "Oak Furnitureland hires ex-Sainsbury's CEO Mike Coupe as chairman". Retail Gazette. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  16. "Cruise retailer Harding makes key appointments to leadership team". The Moodie Davitt Report. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  17. "5 things you didn't know about new Sainsbury's boss Mike Coupe". CityAM. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  18. "Mike Coupe to become GroceryAid Life Patron". Grocery Aid. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  19. "GroceryAid announces Mike Coupe is to extend presidency". Talking Retail. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  20. "Sainsbury's boss sorry for singing We're in the Money". BBC News. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  21. "Sainsbury's chief sings 'We're in the Money' after Asda merger". The Guardian. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  22. Hill, Andrew (3 May 2019). "Mike Coupe, the Sainsbury's boss, regroups". Financial Times. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  23. Hayward, Stephen (19 October 2019). "Argos staff Christmas bonus cut by boss caught singing 'We're In The Money'". Mirror Online. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
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