Morrisons' surprise choice for top job

British firms are among the best at running supermarkets, right? Tesco makes mincemeat of most competitors it runs up against in foreign fields. Asda has given lessons in retailing to its US ­parent, Wal-Mart. Sainsbury's provides stiff competition for both at home. So you would assume an experienced executive from within the national bank of supermarket talent would be a shoo-in for the top job at Morrisons. Wrong. The Bradford-based group appointed an Irishman who has worked in retailing in New Zealand, Spain, Germany and, lately, Canada. Dalton Philips may turn out to be exactly what Morrisons needs. Certainly, its last import, Marc Bolland from Heineken, is considered such a gem that Marks & Spencer has poached him. Nor is there any reason to question the head-hunting skills of Allan Leighton, the old Asda boss whose fingerprints are all over this appointment. Other Friends of Allan, such as Justin King at Sainsbury's and Andy Bond at Asda itself, have excelled. Even so, Philips is currently chief operating officer at a company – ­Loblaw – that is no bigger than Morrisons. It's not obvious why the company has declined the obvious option of looking within Tesco et al. Philips will arrive to find expectations are sky-high.