Tesco has managed to secure the services of its new chief financial officer more than two months early - a day after revealing a stg£250m (€317m) profits error.
Alan Stewart had in July quit the same role at Marks & Spencer to join Tesco - but was forced to take a period of so-called "gardening leave".
The supermarket chain said today that he was to start work on Tuesday, rather than the previously announced date of December 1st.
Tesco wanted to get Stewart early after revealing on Monday an accounting issue that had led it to overstate its first half profit forecast by €317m.
It was later revealed that four executives in its UK business had been suspended as an inquiry examines the way rebates paid by suppliers were treated and whether they were reported in the right time period.
Tesco has been without a finance chief since Laurie McIlwee officially left the business earlier this month.
The supermarket's new chief executive, Dave Lewis, only started in the job at the beginning of September following the sacking of Philip Clarke on the eve of his 40th anniversary at the retailer.
A spokesman for M&S said the firm released Stewart after a personal appeal from Lewis to M&S chief executive Marc Bolland.
"It was a request from Dave to Marc...We felt it was the right thing to do," he said, adding that Tesco did not pay any compensation for Stewart's early release."
In a statement yesterday, Tescso said "On the basis of preliminary investigations in to the UK food business, the board believes that the guidance issued on 29th August 2014 for the group profits for the six months to 23rd August 2014 was overstated by an estimated £250m."
"Some of this impact includes in-year timing differences. Work is ongoing to establish the extent of these issues and what impact they will have on the full year."
"The board has asked Deloitte to undertake an independent and comprehensive review of these issues, working closely with Freshfields, the group's external legal advisers."
"We will provide a further update at our interim results, which will now be announced on the 23rd October 2014."
