Tesco chair John Allan faces claims of inappropriate behaviour

John Allan, the chairman of supermarket group Tesco, has been accused of inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour by four women, according to a report by The Guardian.

It is claimed that Allan touched the bottom of two women and made inappropriate comments to two others between 2019 and 2022. Three of the victims were staff members at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), where he served as president. The other victim is a senior member of staff at Tesco.

The Guardian has earlier reported on the allegations of sexual misconduct and rape at the CBI, prompting the country’s biggest business lobby group to suspend all policy and membership activity until an Extraordinary General Meeting in June.

The paper said the allegations about Allan emerged during its investigation into the CBI. Allan was president of the organisation between 2018 and 2020 and then vice-president until October 2021.

Allan denies all but one of the allegations, which relate to a comment made to a CBI staffer regarding her appearance in 2019.

Tesco stated that Allan’s conduct has never been the subject of a complaint during his tenure as chair. The retailer added that it is committed to ensuring that all colleagues feel respected and safe at work, and urged anyone with concerns or information to share those through any of its reporting channels, including a confidential phone line.

Allan has been chair of Tesco’s board since 2015 and chair of housebuilder Barratt Developments since 2014. He has also been a non-executive director at businesses including National Grid and Royal Mail.

The CBI has committed to conducting a 'root-and-branch' review of its culture in light of the claims, but has not commented specifically on allegations related to Allan. It has hired the law firm Fox Williams to investigate its handling of those claims.