LONDON: Tesco, the world’s third-biggest retailer, could face a revolt over executive pay at its annual shareholders’ meeting on Friday after an advisory group urged investors to oppose the supermarket group’s remuneration report.
Bosses could also face shareholder pressure over the firm’s £1bn ($1.5bn) turnaround plan for its core British business, having earlier this month reported a drop in quarterly underlying sales, resuming a trend seen for most of the past three years.
Once one of the most consistent British companies in terms of earnings growth, Tesco in April reported its first profit decline in over 20 years.
Pensions Investment Research Consultants (Pirc), which has estimated it advises funds with combined assets of more than 1.5 trillion pounds, has called on investors to vote against the store group’s pay report in protest at what it regards as excessive payoffs to two departed executives.
Tesco paid Tim Mason, the former boss of its loss-making Fresh & Easy business in the United States which it is looking to exit, and Richard Brasher, ousted as the head of the UK business in March 2012, “liquidated damages” of £1.68m and £1.3m respectively in the 2012-13 year.
“These payments are calculated on the basis of base salary and the average annual bonus paid for the last two years, yet neither of these executives appear to have suffered a loss caused by the company,” said Pirc, noting that Mason was also paid up to 100,000 pounds to repatriate back to Britain.
A spokeswoman for Tesco said payments for Mason and Brasher were made in accordance with their contracts and reflected typical practice at the time they were signed.
Reuters
