BRAMPTON, Ontario — Former Asda chief executive officer Allan Leighton is stepping down as president of Loblaw Cos. He will be succeeded by Vicente Trius, a Carrefour executive who previously held leadership positions with Walmart International.

Former Asda chief executive officer Allan Leighton is stepping down as president of Loblaw Cos. He will be succeeded by Vicente Trius, a Carrefour executive who previously held leadership positions with Walmart International.

"Vicente is a high-caliber executive committed to building the Loblaws business," said executive chairman Galen Weston. "He will join us as part of a planned succession process that included a global search and the establishment of an appropriate transition period. I very much look forward to working with him."

Trius is expected to take the reins at Loblaws in the second half of the year, at which point Leighton will resign as president and also give up his seat on the company’s board of directors. Leighton will then resume his long-standing role as advisor to the Westin family and deputy chairman of George Westin Ltd.

Trius joins Loblaws from Carrefour, where he was director for Europe and a member of the group’s executive board. He was responsible for Carrefour’s operations in Belgium, Spain, Italy, Poland, Greece, Cyprus and Romania.

Before Carrefour, he held senior executive positions at Walmart, including vice president for international operations, chief executive officer for Brazil, CEO for Asia and executive vice president and chief executive officer for Latin America.