London

BRITAIN'S crisis-hit supermarket sector claimed its first scalp of the year on Tuesday, as Wm Morrison ousted chief executive Dalton Philips following another plunge in Christmas sales at the country's fourth-largest grocer.

Morrisons said it would almost certainly look outside the company for a leader to return it to growth after it lagged larger rivals Tesco, Walmart's Asda and Sainsbury's under Mr Philips' five-year watch.