Endeavour’s incoming chief executive, Jayne Hrdlicka, will be consulted on big strategic issues despite not joining for another eight months, as executive chairman Ari Mervis looks to reassure investors after the Dan Murphy’s owner reported a drop in quarterly sales.

Mervis faced shareholders and analysts publicly for the first time on a call on Monday when Endeavour revealed group sales fell in the third quarter to $2.84 billion as it grappled with lower alcohol demand at its bottle shops and lingering supply chain issues following strikes at Woolworths warehouses in December.