Supermarket chain confirms Mr King's departure after just six months as chief operating officer.
Mr King took up the position in January following Andy Clarke's move to Asda president and ceo. However, just six months later, it has been announced that he has left the company.

No reason has been given for his sudden exit and Asda has not issued an official statement. A spokesperson for the company today confirmed Mr King's departure and said the firm wished him well for the future.

A report in The Grocer suggests it had been decided by "mutual consent" that Mr King should leave his role and that Asda felt his appointment had simply "not worked out".

A spokesperson added that the supermarket chain intends to appoint a replacement "as soon as possible".

Mr King was previously chief executive of supermarket and hypermarket operator Panda Retail, based in Saudi Arabia. Before that he was ceo of Tesco Kipa in Turkey.

During his time at Asda, Mr King oversaw all retail operations, supply chain, customer service and internal communications.