Exclusive: The 71-year-old, who left in 2000, says he has three priorities to revive the supermarket chain for a second time

It could take three to five years to revive Asda’s fortunes, according to the veteran retail boss Allan Leighton, who first helped turn around the supermarket chain more than 20 years ago.

Speaking to the Guardian on his first day in the job as executive chairman, Leighton, who has taken over from fellow retail veteran Stuart Rose, said his first priority was to “restore Asda’s DNA”, which included improving price.