Four Hema executives to leave following acquisition

By

Shomara Roosblad

Published
Nov 15, 2018

Four of the current eight executives at Hema will be leaving the Dutch retailer within the next nine months. The news comes just a few weeks following the acquisition of the chain by Dutch entrepreneur Marcel Boekhoorn.

According to local media reports, Hema said it is choosing to cut the management board to simplify the structure of the company in order to operate more effectively.

Executives that will be leaving the retailer are chief marketing officer Adriana Hoppebrouwer; Tico Schneider, director of Hema Netherlands; Adrian Porteous, logistics manager; and Marielle de Macker, managing director of human resources. 

As a result, from mid-2019 onwards, the Hema management board will consist of CEO Tjeerd Jegen; CFO Ivo Vliegen; Richard Flint, international director; and Trevor Perren, director of buying and merchandising.

In October, retailer Hema announced that it found a new owner in Dutch entrepreneur Marcel Boekhoorn of Ramphastos Investments. Boekhoorn acquired the chain, including debts, for an undisclosed amount from London-based firm Lion Capital.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Boekhoorn has already taken  the first steps to reduce Hema’s debt: following the acquisition, €100 million in loans were repaid and €40 million were put in the retailer’s own capital.

Furthermore, Hema said earlier that together with Boekhoorn it will focus on further investments in the Dutch market, online growth, international expansion and the improvement of its profitability in the coming years.
In September, the retailer announced that the Q2 2018 net sales came in at €286.5 million, a decrease of 0.2% compared to Q2 2017.