Outgoing Waitrose boss Mark Price appointed trade minister for foreign office and BIS
Waitrose' outgoing chief executive Mark Price has been appointed trade minister at the foreign office and the department for business, innovation and skills (BIS), the government has announced.
Price will take up the role in April after the appointment was approved by the Queen today. He will replace Lord Maude who has announced plans to step down next month after less than a year as trade minister but over 30 years in government.
The 55 year-old, who gave himself the nickname the “chubby grocer”, will step down from Waitrose the same month after 33 years at the John Lewis Partnership (JLP) and ten as boss of the supermarket chain.
He is also deputy chairman of broadcaster Channel 4 and had been widely tipped to take over as chairman after Lord Burns stepped down.
Baroness Anelay of St John’s has been appointed as an interim minister at BIS until Price takes up the role in April on top of her role as a foreign office minister.