Brussels/Cologne, 2014-8-29 — /EPR Retail News/ — By joining the European association Independent Retail Europe on 1 September, the REWE Group gets to the final round in reaching one of its key objectives: strengthening its independent retailers. Independent Retail Europe represents groups of independent retailers and associations of these groups, and service providers to independent retailers in the food and non-food retail sectors from all over Europe. The association aims at ensuring that the interests of its members are taken into consideration by policy makers as well as profiling and promoting the group business model. Groups of independent retailers thrive in all European countries and are an indispensable part of a balanced, competitive and diverse retail market. These groups create important impulses for growth, entrepreneurship and SME competitiveness.
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 Unjustifiably, many people regard the cooperative model as outdated whereas it is in fact a contemporary, dynamic and solidarity-based model.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.”
In case of additional questions, please contact:
REWE Group
REWE Group-Unternehmenskommunikation
Tel.: +49 221-149-1050
Fax: +49 221-138898
presse(at)rewe-group.com
Independent Retail Europe
Elisabeth von Reitzenstein
Adviser Public Affairs
Tel. : + 32 2 739 60 91
elisabeth.reitzenstein(at)independentretaileurope.eu
REWE Group
The cooperative REWE Group is one of the leading trading and travel and tourism companies in Germany and Europe. In 2013, the company realised a turnover of about 51 billion euros. Founded in 1927, the REWE Group represents 300,000 jobs, 15,000 points of sale and is present in 12 European countries. In Germany, about 226,000 employees achieved a turnover of 36 billion euros in around 10,000 points of sale in 2013.
The sales lines include super and consumer markets of the brand REWE, REWE CENTER, REWE CITY and BILLA, the discounter PENNY as well as the DIY stores toom Baumarkt and B1 Discount Baumarkt. DER Touristik is the travel and tourism segment of REWE Group and represents the travel operators ITS, Jahn Reisen and Tjaereborg as well as Dertour, Meier’s Weltreisen and ADAC Reisen, the business travel division FCm Travel Solutions und more than 2,100 travel agents (u.a. DER Reisebüro, DERPART), the hotel chaince lti hotels, Club Calimera and PrimaSol Hotels, and the direct operator clevertours.com.
Independent Retail Europe
Independent Retail Europe is the European association that acts as an umbrella organisation for all groups of independent retailers in the food and non-food sectors. Our members are groups of independent retailers, associations representing groups of independent retailers and wider service organisations built to support independent retailers. Independent Retail Europe represents over 358,000 independent retailers (with a combined retail turnover of more than 670 billion euros and more than 560,000 points of sale), and 22 groups and associations of groups in Europe (employing over 5 million people and generating a combined wholesale turnover of more than 310 billion euros).
Contact
REWE GROUP-Corporate Communications
Tel.: 0221 – 149-1050
E-Mail: presse(at)rewe-group.com
Contact