Asda's legal chief has quit the supermarket for Amazon.

General counsel and company secretary Alex Simpson has resigned to take up a new role at Amazon - joining the online giant's UK chief Doug Gurr, who also previously worked at Walmart-owned Asda.

In an internal email sent by Asda chief executive Roger Burnley, staff were told a new recruitment process is under way and Mr Simpson leaves on September 12.

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He said: "I am writing to let you know that Alex Simpson, our general counsel and company secretary, has decided the time is right for him to leave us and take on a new role.

"Alex joined us almost ten years ago and has been part of the exec team since 2013, during which time he has built and successfully led teams of lawyers and colleagues, managing some of the very complex legal challenges that we have faced.

"As general counsel, Alex has been a strong and inclusive leader and has built a professional and very capable legal team."

He also said: "He has also provided us, and Walmart, with impeccable legal judgment, a strong knowledge of the business and uncompromising integrity."

Mr Kipling maker Premier Foods has named Alex Whitehouse as its new chief.

The appointment of Mr Whitehouse, the company's UK managing director, as chief executive comes months after Gavin Darby left the firm.

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The former chief executive stepped down in January, after narrowly avoiding a defeat for re-election at the company's annual shareholder meeting a year ago.

Mr Whitehouse said: "I'm delighted to become Premier Foods' CEO and look forward to working with Colin and the board to drive further value from our great portfolio of brands.

"I'm very encouraged by the improved performance of the business over the last couple of years and see this as something we can build on further."

Investors will be hoping for a sunny outlook from home retailer Dunelm next week as it reports full-year numbers on Wednesday.

Annual pre-tax profits are expected to be at the higher end of a previously guided £124 million to £126 million range, after the group benefited from a spate of favourable weather in the fourth quarter.

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Last year the group posted a profit of £93.1 million before tax, declining compared to performance in 2017.

As the company returns to profit growth, investors will be hoping for a small bump to the dividend from 28.6p to around 29.7p.

In the year to date, Dunelm's shares have surged by more than 68%, making it one of the best-performing stocks in the retail sector behind Pets At Home.