The senior independent director of Tesco is to quit, bringing yet more change to the board make-up of Britain's biggest retailer.

Tesco said on Monday that Patrick Cescau will retire on April 7 after six years at the firm.

He will be succeeded in the senior independent director role by Richard Cousins, the chief executive of catering firm Compass who joined the Tesco board in November.

Cescau was influential in the ousting of Tesco's former CEO Phil Clarke last July and the recruitment of his former Unilever colleague Dave Lewis as Clarke's successor.

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He also led the search for Tesco's new chairman, with John Allan succeeding Richard Broadbent on March 1.

Broadbent had said in October he would quit, carrying the can for the accounting scandal that rocked the firm last year.