Ex-boss slams Sainsbury's waste

MOST supermarkets mislay shopping trolleys, but Sainsbury's forgot about a £20,000 company BMW that is still standing outside exemployee Stewart Martin's home after two years.

Last week's profits warning and ousting of chairman Sir Peter Davis did not surprise Martin, who knows all about waste at the group. He was one of 61 store managers who won claims for unfair dismissal and a reported multi-million pound payout against Sainsbury's last year.

Martin, 50, from Knutsford, Cheshire, was made redundant in January 2002 and expected his company car to be picked up after his three-month notice period, but Sainsbury's failed to collect it.

He wrote to Davis asking for a £5 a day storage charge, but the car is still sitting on his drive.

'When I heard about the profits warning and Davis leaving, I wasn't surprised, as I know how wasteful they have been,' said Martin.

He managed three stores in Birkenhead, Stockport and Salford.

Sainsbury's blamed human error for the car mix-up and said it was an isolated case.