- REWE Group structures management of the new Convenience Division
- Hilmar Hübers takes over as Chief Operating Officer at Lekkerland
- Christoph Eltze becomes member of the Executive Board for Retail Germany at the REWE Group
Cologne. REWE Group has defined the future management structure of its new Convenience business area. The current CEO of Lekkerland AG & Co. KG, Patrick Steppe (52), will become Chief Executive Officer of the new Lekkerland SE & Co. KG effective 1 January 2020. Steppe will report directly to REWE Group’s CEO, Lionel Souque.
“I’m delighted that Patrick Steppe is taking over as CEO of our new Convenience business area,” stated Souque. “His experience and innovativeness make him the ideal person to lead the Convenience business area. Backed by his management team, he’ll pool the strengths of Lekkerland and REWE optimally and stay fully focused on delivering benefit for our customers. Patrick Steppe stands for continuity and future growth prospects alike.”
Hilmar Hübers (46), currently Executive Board Member of Retail Germany at the REWE Group and in charge of Customer & Analytics, will join the Management Board of Lekkerland SE & Co. KG effective 1 March 2020. In his capacity as Chief Operating Officer (COO), he will be responsible for Category Management/Buying, Information Technology and Digital Business Development. Hilmar Hübers will report to CEO Patrick Steppe.
Christoph Eltze (46) will succeed Hilmar Hübers as a member of the Executive Board of Retail Germany effective 1 March 2020, alongside his existing role as head of REWE digital GmbH.
Lionel Souque stated: “In the past ten years, Hilmar Hübers and his teams have made a key contribution to the economic success and strengthening the competitiveness of Rewe and Penny in Germany. In particular, he has turned the use of data and insights to optimise and further develop our business in the areas of customer loyalty, category management and marketing into a genuine competitive advantage for our company. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Hilmar Hübers for his commitment to date and look forward to continuing our trusted working relationship. I also thank Christoph Eltze for taking on his new, broader duties as Executive Board Member for our Retail Germany organisation. Christoph Eltze is managing REWE digital GmbH with great success and is playing a major part in development and implementation of our digital strategy – far beyond the boundaries of e-commerce. By appointing him to the Executive Board of Retail Germany, we are addressing the growing importance of the subject areas of digitalisation, big data/analytics, data-driven customer offerings, customer loyalty and innovation.”
Patrick Steppe commented: “Hilmar Hübers’ decision to join the management team of Lekkerland SE & Co. KG as Chief Operating Officer is very good news for our Convenience area and the future development of our business. I also look forward personally to working with him, since his expertise will help us give a fresh and strong boost to our vision of being ‘Your Most Convenient Partner’ to our customers.”
The management team of Lekkerland SE & Co. KG is rounded off by Dr Jochen Großpietsch (43), who will continue as Chief Supply Chain Officer.
Dr Edgar Lange (55), who has been Chief Financial Officer of Lekkerland AG & Co. KG since 2013, has decided to leave Lekkerland following the merger. He is responsible for Finance, Controlling, Treasury, Legal, Internal Auditing, Risk Management/Internal Control System (ICS), IT and Mergers & Acquisitions. Dr Edgar Lange will leave the company at the end of April. He will ensure a harmonious and orderly handover of his areas of responsibility in the coming months. “We naturally accept Dr Edgar Lange’s decision,” states Patrick Steppe. “He has made a key contribution to Lekkerland’s commercial success in the past years and laid the foundation for the company’s successful future. I thank him for continuing to contribute his expertise in the months ahead and enabling a comprehensive handover of his areas of responsibility. I wish him all the best in his professional life and every continued success.”
About REWE Group
The cooperatively organized REWE Group is one of the leading trade and tourism groups in Germany and Europe. In 2018, the company generated a total external turnover of around 61 billion euros. Founded in 1927, REWE Group operates with 360,000 employees in 22 European countries.
The sales lines include REWE, REWE CENTER and BILLA as well as MERKUR and ADEG supermarkets and consumer stores, the discounter PENNY, the BIPA drugstores and the toom Baumarkt DIY stores. The company also operates convenience stores (REWE To Go) and the e-commerce activities REWE Lieferservice, Zooroyal, Weinfreunde and Kölner Weinkeller. Travel and tourism under the umbrella of DER Touristik Group includes the tour operators ITS, Jahn Reisen, Dertour, Meiers Weltreisen, ADAC Reisen, Kuoni, Helvetic Tours, Apollo und Exim Tours and more than 2,400 travel agencies (e.g. DER Reisebüro, DERPART and cooperation partners), the hotel chains lti, Club Calimera, Cooee, PrimaSol and Playitas Resort and the direct tour operator clevertours.com.
