12 years at the top
Van Zetten’s departure marks the end of an era: he has led the company for 12 years and not only survived Hema’s sale (from Maxeda to Lion Capital’s British investors), but also the economic crisis at first. Unfortunately for him, the crisis still led to his downfall, as his British employers have now decided to intervene. Nevertheless, Van Zetten says the company has overcome its obstacles and is on its way back up.
“I am proud to say that our company has passed its transitional year well and is on course to reach its goals. I revel in the fact that our strategy has now led to signs of improvement: like-for-like turnover is higher than in 2014 and the number of transactions has also grown 6 % compared to 2014”, he says on the topic of his departure. He will still remain at Hema as an adviser.
Tjeerd Tegen, previously Woolworths’s managing director for Australian supermarkets & petrol, will replace him as CEO. “I am very happy to become a part of the Hema team from mid-April”, he said on Instagram. “Hema is a fantastic and iconic Dutch brand, which also services customers in 6 other countries. I look forward to meet the many new colleagues, customers and suppliers over the next few months. Can’t wait to start!”
