Former Asda boss Allan Leighton, for several months a board member and since January acting chairman of Consignia, was appointed by the government on Monday as permanent chairman of the ailing former Post Office.
Like many Consignia employees and customers, Leighton has made no secret of his disdain for the organisation’s risible £2 million ($2.85m; €3.26m) rebranding, carried out last year under former chairman Neville Bain. The decision, oriented toward overseas business, was taken despite the Post Office being the UK’s most recognised brand after Coca-Cola.
Commented Leighton acidly: “It is almost like there is this other company, called Consignia, which is going around attracting derision. Would I like to change the name? Yes I would.” He added: “It is the thing that is mentioned every time I talk to anyone. There is a lot of history here that needn't have been changed.”
But the name switch is unlikely to be reversed in the near future, according to a Consignia spokesperson on Monday: “Like any organisation we look at everything all the time and nothing is ever ruled out. But it's not a priority, with today’s announcements of job cuts and a major restructuring to deal with.”
Data sourced from: MediaGuardian.co.uk; additional content by WARC staff
