Musgrave executive to take up top position at Arnotts

Musgrave executive Mr Michael Nason is set to take over the top job at Arnotts, The Irish Times learned yesterday.

Mr Nason, who is currently head of the grocery group's franchised convenience store division, Musgrave Super-Valu Centra (MSVC), will take up his new job as chief executive of Arnotts from next April.

He will succeed Mr Seamus Duignan, the long-standing chief executive of the well-known Dublin department store. Mr Duignan retired from the post recently.

Arnotts signalled a significant expansion last year, agreeing in October to pay €65 million for a series of properties comprising Independent Newspapers' offices in Abbey Street and four shops in Henry Street, all adjacent to its existing flagship store.

Mr Nason joined Musgrave from Tesco Ireland in July 1999 and the company promoted him to managing director of MSVC in July 2000. He is from Tramore Road in Cork City and is a graduate of University College Cork (UCC).

Mr Donal Horgan will succeed Mr Nason at Musgrave Super- Valu Centra. He was finance director at the firm before bec- oming head of logistics in 2001. He oversaw the development of the group's distribution centre in Kilcock, Co Meath. Mr Horgan is a native of north Co Cork.

Musgrave owns the Super Valu and Centra franchises, and is currently bidding for the UK-based Londis chain. The company intends opening eight new Super Valu stores this year, five of them in Dublin.

One of its franchises, retail chain Roches Stores, announced last week that it planned to close three of its Super Valu-branded supermarkets in branches in Dublin and Limerick. In his new post, Mr Nason will be competing for customers against Roches Stores' Henry Street branch.