Morrisons' new boss ditches five from management team

(Adds detail)

LONDON, March 24 (Reuters) - David Potts, the new boss of Morrisons, moved to clear the decks of the struggling British supermarket group on Tuesday, ditching five members of its management team.

Ex-Tesco (Xetra: 852647 - news) executive Potts became chief executive on March 16, succeeding Dalton Philips who was ousted in January, and has wasted little time in making his mark.

Morrisons, Britain's fourth biggest grocer, said Group Customer Marketing & Digital Director Nick Collard, Group Retail Director Martyn Fletcher, Group Property and Strategy Director Gordon Mowat, Group Logistics Director Neal Austin and Convenience Managing Director Nigel Robertson would all step down from the management board, which sits below the public limited company (PLC) board, and leave the business.

"I will now be constructing a leaner management board, with the aim of simplifying and speeding up the business," said Potts.

The firm said Ross Eggleton and Miles Foster would continue to lead logistics and the "M local" convenience chain respectively, while Andy Atkinson and Clare Grainger have been appointed as Interim Marketing and Retail Director respectively.

Last week, Potts launched a campaign to receive customer and staff feedback, announced he would work in a store in April and encouraged other head office staff to do the same. He also purchased over 1 million pounds ($1.5 million) of Morrisons shares.

The daunting task Potts faces in turning around Morrisons was illustrated a few days before he joined when the firm reported its lowest annual profit in eight years and warned investors it would cut its dividend.

($1 = 0.6707 pounds) (Reporting by James Davey and Neil Maidment; Editing by Mark Potter)