Co-op shakes up leadership teams to accelerate growth and buying powers

The Co-op has overhauled its leadership team as it prepares for the next stage of growth, with plans to accelerate its buying power capabilities.

These changes include Co-op Food MD Matt Hood’s promotion to chief commercial and logistics officer, bringing his “extensive experience, expertise and commercial ability” to the new division.

Co-op said the commercial and logistics division will be “a cornerstone of our strategy”. It aims to grow revenue and profitability across multiple channels, create opportunities with new partners, maximise scale, and deliver value.

The new division will include expertise and buying power for goods for resale and goods not for resale, and service Co-op stores, franchise, independent societies and Nisa retailers, creating “a significant grocery buying group”.

Hood will start the new role with immediate effect, with a search for his replacement underway. In the interim period, the remaining food leadership team will report directly into Co-op group CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq.

Jerome Saint-Marc, meanwhile, is leaving the business to pursue further opportunities. He joined in November 2023 as MD for growth, a remit which was extended to also include B2B the following year.

During his time in post, Saint-Marc established B2B capabilities across Co-op wholesale and franchise, whilst also overseeing its relationship with the independent Co-op societies through the buying group Federal Retail Trading Services.

As a result of Saint-Marc’s decision, Katie Secretan, MD for Co-op Wholesale, will report directly into Khoury-Haq and will join its operating board.

Furthermore, Wais Shaifta has agreed to join the leadership team and operating board as its new chief growth officer.

Shaifta joined the group’s board in February as an independent non-executive director and is stepping down from the role in order to take on his new leadership responsibilities, such as heading up its corporate and B2B business development teams.

A search for his replacement on the Co-op Group board is now underway.