Cedric Clarke, joined Tesco’s procurement team in November 2011 and following Pelsmakers exit a month ago has taken on responsibility for arguably the UK’s largest print, paper and post spend, understood to be around £400m.

"Even in a multi-channel industry, paper and print are still important ways for us to communicate with our customers.  I’m really excited to be taking on this role and using all our combined knowledge and experience to make sure that Tesco has the best possible supplier base for our business," said Clarke.

He has more than 17 years of buying experience across a number of disciplines.

Clarke began his buying career at Booker Cash & Carry and has held various senior buying roles in food and computing products sectors with responsibility for print, paper and point of sale, including eight years at Dixons Retail where he spent more than two years working in Prague with responsibilities for buying in Central Europe.

Clarke’s promotion follows the departure of Pelsmakers on 5 July. She joined Tesco in early 2011 from Williams Lea and PrintWeek understands that she left Tesco to take on a global IT procurement role for confectionery giant Mars.

While the new role signals her exit from the print industry, one source hinted that she hadn’t necessarily ruled out a return to the industry at some point in future where the broader business knowledge, insight and experience she would gain in her new, non-print role might prove invaluable.