[3] In January 2014, Sainsbury's then CEO Justin King announced Coupe as his successor, after stating that he would be leaving the role in June 2014.
[4][3] Soon after Coupe's appointment, he announced a strategic review that aimed to address the challenges caused by a changing retail market.
[7] Coupe oversaw digital transformation and investment at Sainsbury’s, including the introduction of the UK's first till-free stores and the digitisation of the Nectar loyalty card through a new app and website.
[8] In January 2020 it was announced that Coupe would retire from his position at the end of May 2020, to be succeeded by Simon Roberts, the company's head of retail and operations.
[19] In April 2018, Coupe took part in interviews in relation to a forthcoming merger between Sainsbury's and Walmart-owned UK subsidiary Asda.
"[21] When the merger failed to get approvals, he accused the Competition and Markets Authority of having "fundamentally moved the goalposts... changed the shape of the ball and chosen a completely different playing field" in its analysis.