‘With Jan Kunath, a managerial personality is leaving REWE Group at the end of 2025 who has played a decisive role in shaping our company for more than 30 years in both national and international business,’ emphasises Erich Stockhausen, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of REWE Group. He has contributed his broad industry, restructuring and modernisation expertise in various top management positions in the full-range, discount, wholesale, REWE Digital, purchasing and hardware store business segments and has contributed with full commitment and passion to REWE Group's consistent and sustainable success today. ‘On behalf of all shareholders and the entire Supervisory Board, I would like to thank Jan Kunath most sincerely for his decades of service and loyalty to our company, which cannot be taken for granted,’ said Stockhausen.
Jan Kunath, born in 1965, married and father of two, began his career at REWE Group in 1992 and initially held various management positions in sales and merchandise. In 2004, the business administration graduate became CEO of the Bon Appetit Group (CH), and in 2006 he was appointed to the Management Board of REWE International. He returned to Germany in 2007 and was Chairman of the National Full-Range Management Board from 2007 to 2009. In May 2009, he was appointed Chief Representative of REWE Group for B2B and Speciality Stores (DIY and consumer electronics). In September 2010, he became Chief Representative of REWE Group and Chairman of the Management Board of PENNY National. He has been a member of the REWE Group Management Board since 1 January 2011 and Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of REWE Group since 1 July 2017, responsible for International Retail (full-range Austria, full-range CEE, PENNY International) and the DIY store business segment (toom).
REWE Group CEO Lionel Souque would also like to thank Jan Kunath on behalf of all his colleagues on the Management Board and the more than 390,000 REWE Group employees for their close and excellent cooperation, which always focussed on the long-term success of the company and the well-being of the large REWE Group team: ‘Jan Kunath has rendered outstanding services to REWE Group. He has brought all of his expertise, his extensive knowledge of the company from different business segment perspectives and his decades of experience to bear for our sustainably successful orientation. Together, we have achieved major milestones for the company, such as the reorganisation of PENNY or the time-critical market exits from Ukraine and Russia. Together, we were able to steer REWE Group safely through the stormy times for all economic operators at the start of the pandemic. Thank you very much for the friendly and trusting cooperation.’
His responsibilities will be transferred within the REWE Group Management Board and his position will not be filled. In future, the divisional board members Marcel Haraszti (Full-Range Stores Austria), Espen B. Larsen (Full-Range Stores CEE) and Michael Jäger (PENNY International) will report to REWE Group CEO Lionel Souque. The DIY store business segment will be assigned to Christoph Eltze's Management Board department, with toom CEO René Haßfeld reporting to him. The expansion of the REWE Group Management Board in 2022 has already paved the way for increased international cooperation. Since 2022, the topics of People & Sustainability (Daniela Büchel), Logistics (Peter Maly), Ware International (Hans-Jürgen Moog), Digital & Technology (Christoph Eltze) and Finance (Telerik Schischmanow) have been more closely interlinked across national borders in specially created specialist structures (Boards).
Jan Kunath, Deputy Chairman of the REWE Group Management Board, takes stock with satisfaction: ‘I have worked for REWE Group for more than 30 years and our industry has changed and developed enormously during this time. It was an intensive time, and I found the last few years with their technological upheavals and innovations particularly fascinating. When I look back, I am very proud of what we have achieved as a company over these three decades. And grateful to have been part of this great big REWE Group team. For me as a retail enthusiast and retail expert, it was a great experience. The end of this year is the right time for me to move from operational to strategic and advisory management. I'm already looking forward to getting to know new sectors and areas and contributing my experience.’
