AN ANDOVER man and keen baker has been celebrating after recently becoming the operational leader of a major multinational supermarket chain.

David McAndrew, who grew up in Andover, moved to Virginia in the US in 1986 at the age of 19, coming back to the town on the expiry of his visa, and working as a baker at Burbidge's.

But the appeal of living in America soon pulled David back to the States, securing his Green Card. 

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David, who attended Harrow Way Community School, began working for Whole Food Markets 28 years ago, working in the chain's first store in Florida as a bakery team leader.

Whole Foods Market, a subsidiary of Amazon, is an American multinational supermarket chain headquartered in Austin, Texas, which sells products free from hydrogenated fats and artificial colours, flavours, and preservatives.

He has since risen through the ranks and has recently become the company's bakehouses operation lead, providing leadership guidance and support for the bakehouses' long-term strategy and short-term operation, safety, quality, people, and financial targets.

David said: "I have been at Whole Foods Market for 28 years, and we also have stores in London and Glasgow.

"I live in South Florida by Miami and Fort Lauderdale and have been here since 1996.

"I still come back to Andover to visit family. Moving here was one of the best things I did, but missing family was the hardest thing."