Rewe Group joins European association Independent Retail Europe
Brussels is in a year of transition with the elections of the new European Parliament in May and the appointment of new EU Commissioners in autumn. In this context, it will be one of the priorities of the Cologne-based retail group and the Brussels association to promote together the benefits of the group business model with the new Parliament and Commission.
Ralf Gerking, President of Independent Retail Europe and Verbandsdirektor of EDEKA, comments: “European policy makers increasingly recognise the vital role of the group model for the competitiveness of independent retailers. We are the only EU association that solely represents their interests. As one of Europe’s biggest groups, the REWE Group constitutes in many ways a valuable contribution to our membership. With every new member – and in particular now with the REWE Group – we are in an even stronger position to explain and defend the group model and its benefit for the economy. I look forward to the cooperation with the REWE Group”.
Thomas Nonn, member of the management board of REWE / retailers and Chief Representative at REWE Group, says: “Cooperatives and SMEs (“Genosssenschaft und Mittelstand”) are very important for our company. Unjustifiably, many people regard the cooperative model as outdated whereas it is in fact a contemporary, dynamic and solidarity-based model. It is one of our key objectives to further develop our cooperative roots and to combine them with modern entrepreneurship to strengthen and support our approximately 1,500 independent retailers. We therefore need a strong voice to represent our retailers and their interests. Joining Independent Retail Europe will help us achieve our goals also on EU level.”
source: eprretailnews.com
