Profile - Andy Bond: The former Asda boss happy to turn his back on corporate world

The first thing that hits me about the post-Asda Andy Bond is how relaxed he is.

Over the years I've become accustomed to Bond's perpetual slight frown and his air of wanting to get somewhere else very quickly.

But since deciding to leave Asda earlier this year, Bond is a new man – relaxed, laughing and quite happy to take the mickey out of himself.

So what made him decide to quit Asda after 16 years?

"I just think it was the end of a chapter. I didn't want to go the States," he explains (Leeds-based Asda is owned by US retail giant Wal-Mart).

Many thought that Bond's next step would be the chief executive of a FTSE 100 company, but he says that was never on his agenda.

"What I'm doing is not my second choice, it's my first," he says. "Life at a FTSE 100 company is not for me. You don't run the company any more, you run the media and shareholder activity.

"I don't believe in that. Philosophically it's wrong. I've done that for the last five years. I wanted a different balance."

At the beginning of the year Bond announced in an internal memo to staff that he will leave Asda's US parent company Wal-Mart for good in March once he has bedded down Wal-Mart's acquisition of the South African retail chain Massmart.

He officially stepped down from his role as Asda's part-time chairman on New Year's Day, saying in the memo to colleagues: "Deciding to move on to new challenges after 16 years is never an easy decision, but never more so than at a business like ours."

Last year Bond, a keen cyclist, became chairman of online bike retailer Wiggle.

Then last month he took over as chairman of Republic, the Leeds-based fashion retailer, and Euro Garages, the Blackburn-based forecourt operator.

He has also invested in the two businesses, but declines to say how much money he has injected.

The 45-year-old has decided to turn his back on big corporate life in order to focus on a handful of small to medium-sized businesses.

"I wanted the freedom to do things outside work – to ride my bike, spend time with the family and help my children with their homework," he explains.

The previous night he says he made dinner for his children who are now 11 and 13. "I can spend time with them watching TV and doing all the mundane stuff you don't do when running a big company," he says.

It has been suggested that Bond would follow in the footsteps of another former Asda chief executive, Allan Leighton, who coined the phrase "going plural" when he took on a number of new roles.

But Bond dislikes the phrase.

"The risk of saying you're going plural is that it brings to mind someone who gets wheeled in and wheeled off again. I want to be involved in the operation of the company."

Part of his decision to focus on smaller, private companies is that Bond believes the City has made PLCs become too short-sighted in their goals.

"The reporting season has made companies become too short-term. The whole stakeholder ethos has created an unnecessary frenzy," he says.

That said, he hasn't ruled himself out of running a public company: "If a company I work for becomes listed I wouldn't be disloyal simply because I've got some dogma."

His plan is to work a four-day week, spending one day a week at Euro Garages, two days at Republic and the fourth day will be a floating day spent between Euro Garages, Republic and Wiggle.

He works from an office at his home in Harrogate although he spends most of the time at Euro Garages and Republic's offices.

Bond says that during his time at Asda, an 80-hour week was the norm.

"When I was running Asda it wasn't just about the hours, it was the intensity of the decision-making," he says. "There was always a big decision. Now there is a different intensity. Going from one job to another energises you. I'm spending a lot of time on coaching and developing the top team."

Now he is involved with three companies, he says he is not sure he will take on any more. However, he may well invest in a "couple of things", focusing on retail or consumer goods, or as he says: "Something I know about."

In the meantime, both Republic and Euro Garages have ambitious expansion plans and aim to grow from medium-sized players into large-scale national operators.

Republic trades from 115 stores, offering high street brands such as G-Star, Henleys and Diesel as well as its own labels such as Soul Cal and Miso.

"To imagine Republic having three times as many stores in a few years' time wouldn't be ridiculous," says Bond.

"The company needs sensible growth, not to grow too quickly. It's early days for Republic. The business is in good shape and it's well placed.

"It's innovative and remains pretty unique in the market place."

His second new enterprise Euro Garages is the UK's second largest independent forecourt operator with 67 sites across the Midlands and North of England. It has a turnover of 285m and employs about 1,000 people.

Archie Norman, his former boss at Asda, says of Bond: "Andy is high energy, edgy, he creates electricity, but he is not that interested in big corporate entities. He always said he wanted to do something more entrepreneurial, and now he's doing it."

Clive Black, retail analyst at Shore Capital, adds that he thought Bond wanted a change of direction when he stepped down as chief executive of Asda last April.

"I sensed he was looking for a change in lifestyle," says Black. "I think his charity work, especially linked to raising money through cycling, will continue to play an important role.

"He has a broad background and a wide range of skill sets. He has delivered for Asda."

After graduating from Salford University, Bond spent six years in engineering at Hopkinsons from 1987-1993, starting out as an engineering trainee.

He joined Asda in 1994 as marketing manager and in 2000 he was appointed managing director of Asda's George clothing brand.

"One thing I learned at George is you've got to get close to the consumer.

"I won't be the product designer at Republic, but you've got to get close to what the customer wants."

Bond's leisure time is spent cycling, raising money for charity and he also describes himself as an armchair sports fan.

"I'm quite fit, but I wouldn't say I was a fitness fanatic," he says.

More than anything, you get a sense that Bond is now keen to get back to grass roots and make a success of the three companies he is involved with.

"Money was never important to me," he admits. "For me it's about integrity, responsibility in the community and a desire to win.

"I learned a lot from Asda and its values – people come first. Asda remains famous as a good place to work. The one thing I will miss most about Asda is the people. I'll miss the sense of community."

And what will he miss the least?

"The lack of balance between work and life," he tells me.

"My wife was a key part in my decision to leave Asda. We've got a very strong relationship and the past five years have been hard for her."

And where would he like to be in five years' time?

"Doing exactly what I'm doing now," he says with a grin.

ANDY BOND

FACTFILE

Place of birth: Grantham

Current home: Harrogate

Date of birth: 16.3.65

School: Kings Grammar

University: Salford

Parents: "Working class, dad was a plumber, mum was a nurse."

Biggest mistake: "I don't reflect on mistakes."

How would others describe you: "Positive, energetic, demanding, very competitive. I can be impatient."

Car driven: Mini Cooper

Favourite holiday destination: "We have a holiday home on the East coast of Canada."

Favourite film: Carlito's Way

Last book read: French Revolutions: Cycling the Tour de France by Tim Moore

Favourite band: Coldplay

Most proud of?: My family