John Allan: Tesco chair mulls legal action over sexual misconduct allegations
John Allan, the outgoing chief of Tesco, has hired a law firm to defend himself after he was accused of engaging inappropriately with women during his tenure at the CBI.
“I’m determined, as far as I possibly can, to prove my innocence,” Allan told the Times, revealing that he has hired media law firm Schillings and is considering suing The Guardian.
It comes as the chief announced his departure as chair of Tesco and Barratt Developments earlier this month, after the outlet published claims from four anonymous women alleging that Allan touched two female staff bottoms and commented on the figure of a separate colleague’s figure.
Allan has vehemently denied all allegations, bar one in which he told a colleague that her “dress really suits her figure”.
Both Tesco and Barratt also stated that they had not had any complaints about his behaviour throughout his time at the companies also.
In response to his comments in The Times, The Guardian said: “We stand by our journalism and the people who continue to come forward to tell their stories despite the significant risks involved.”
Allan said that while allegations have sent the chief into early retirement, the fallout could have had “catastrophic” implications on people in earlier stages in their careers.
“I’m 74. If this happened to them at 54, it would be absolutely catastrophic. They would probably be unemployable,” Allan said.
City A.M has contacted John Allan and Schillings for a comment.