The retailer Kik Textiles and Non-Food GmbH loses a key executive. On Tuesday, the discounter announced that Chief Operating Officer (COO) Alfred Glander would resign. The 60-year-old will “end his active role in management in the second half of 2023,” explained Kik. Glander will then continue to be available to the company “as a non-executive board member for special tasks”. According to a statement, this regulation had “already been agreed with CEO Patrick Zahn for a long time”.
The retailer wants to redistribute Glander’s previous tasks internally. CEO Zahn will be responsible for the areas of IT and corporate development in the future, and Dirk Ankenbrand will also be promoted to the management board on January 1 next year and will be responsible for the goods, logistics and supply chain management departments, the company said. Ankenbrand joined Kik in May 2021 and is currently in charge of assortment management in the non-food area.
Dirk Ankenbrand moves into the management on January 1st
CEO Zahn paid tribute to the outgoing manager’s achievements: “Mr. Glander has played a major part in the positive development of Kik in recent years,” he emphasized in a statement. “His experience and his relaxed manner ensured that Kik was able to master the difficult challenges of the pandemic years.” In Dirk Ankenbrand, however, the retailer “found a competent successor,” says Zahn.
Glander has been instrumental in transforming Kik “from a sourcing-driven to a data-driven company,” the retailer said. In addition, “new processes in category management and supply chain management” were also “significantly set up by him”.
After leaving the management board, in his new role he will “particularly support the final phase of the ongoing transformation as part of the strategic restructuring program and the implementation of Kik’s new IT strategy,” according to a statement. “I am very happy that Alfred Glander is still available to the company and to me personally with advice and action,” explained CEO Zahn.