TESCO Ireland has announced the appointment of a new senior management team to develop its 76 Quinnsworth/Crazy Prices and Bloomfields retail stores in the Republic. Six senior managers are to leave the company. Tesco finalised the £630 million sterling acquisition of the Quinnsworth/Crazy Prices outlets in the Republic and the Stewarts supermarket chain and Wine Barrel offlicences in Northern Ireland in May.

The new management team will be lead by Mr Maurice Pratt, the former managing director of Quinnsworth.

The senior managers who are leaving include general manager Mr Pat Moroney, finance director Mr David Barron and marketing director Mr Ken Rowlands. Store development director Mr Peter Kutner, fresh food buying director Mr Barry Cherrett, and non-food buying director Mr Andrew Sharkey are also leaving.

Industry sources expressed surprise at the number of top management leaving the company. "We had expected that one or two would go but it looks like almost the whole top team is leaving," one supplier commented. The new management team includes appointments from Tesco in Britain and some promotions for former Quinnsworth managers. Mr Tony Keohane, who is the new retail support director, was with Quinnsworth for 20 years. The new store operations director, Mr Mike McDermott was a regional director with Tesco in Britain. Accountant Mr Steven Glew, who is the new finance and supply chain director, is the former finance director of Tesco Stores Ltd in Britain. Mr Mel Clifford, who has been appointed human resources director, worked for 14 years in Quinnsworth personnel division. Marketing director, Mr Michael Nason joined Quinnsworth three years ago and was most recently marketing controller. Commercial director, Mr Andrew Grant has been a buyer with Tesco in Britain for 10 years. Mr Cyril Dunne remains information technology director.

Ms Laura Wade-Gery, the business change director, has been advising the group in Britain on business planning and Mr Tom Nolan, the new Irish trade development director, was with Quinnsworth for 17 years. Tesco Ireland is to be managed as an autonomous business within the Tesco group, it said.

Tesco is still in discussions with the Irish Small and Medium Sized Enterprises on its public commitments to buy goods and services from Irish businesses. Mr Frank Mulcahy of ISME said yesterday that there was still "a huge degree of uncertainty about".