Aldi UK marketing director Adam Zavalis departs
Zavalis has had two stints at the supermarket. He is the third senior marketer to leave Aldi this year.
Aldi’s UK marketing director Adam Zavalis has left the supermarket after almost three years, the third senior marketer to leave the discounter this year.
Zavalis left Aldi last week, according to a post on LinkedIn. It is not yet known where he is going to.
He wrote in the post that he will be taking “a few months of time with the family, re-charging and then taking on a new challenge that I’m incredibly excited about”. He added: “I get to work with another group of talented people who are focused on making a big impact on the market.”
His departure marks the end of his second stint at Aldi. He rejoined the firm in 2020 after almost two years as Boots’ marketing director. He had previously spent five years in the marketing director role.
Aldi scoops Brand of the Year accolade
During his two stints, he played a significant role in several lauded campaigns and initiatives from 2011’s Like Brands campaign to its sponsorship of Team GB and its award winning Kevin the Carrot Christmas campaign.
Zavalis said in the Linkedin post: “We worked hard to dispel the quality perception issues and convinced UK shoppers that low prices didn’t result in low quality products.”
Zavalis’s exit follows the departure of Aldi UK’s co-marketing director Sean McGinty in April, who left to take up the top marketing job at Dunelm. Its group director of marketing and communications, David Hills left to join Asda as chief customer officer in February.
It is not known if any of the roles have been replaced. A request to Aldi for comment was not returned before publication.
The departures come at a pivotal time for Aldi as it looks to consolidate its recent successes. It is now the UK’s fourth biggest supermarket after unseating Morrisons last year. In the most recent Kantar figures, for the 12 weeks ended 16 April 2023, Aldi’s share of grocery spend was 10.1% versus Morrisons 8.7%.
Last year the discounter was crowned Marketing Week’s Brand of the Year, an acknowledgement of its share success and the effectiveness of its marketing communications.
