Press release 20 June 2018

EuroCommerce elects Régis Degelcke as its new President

EuroCommerce is delighted to announce the election of Régis Degelcke as its new President at the EuroCommerce General Assembly today. Mr Degelcke will take up his three-year mandate from July 2018.

Mr Degelcke brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the and wholesale sector. He currently is Chairman of the two companies, Retail and Auchan Holding, to which he was appointed to by the Mulliez family in early 2017. Mr Degelcke began his career in retail 35 years ago as a financial controller at Leroy Merlin, and was appointed CFO of the group at the early age of 29. Six years later, keen to have hands-on store experience, he left headquarters to become a store manager in Spain. Later, under his leadership as country manager for France, Leroy Merlin grew significantly to become the leading home improvement retailer. As a true global citizen, he went on to lead the international expansion of the LeroyMerlin/Adeo Group as Executive Vice- President in Italy and Brazil. For a period, he also headed relations with professional customers of the group, which provided him with profound insights into the world of wholesale. For the last 10 years, he has chaired the European DIY Retail Association (EDRA), having previously headed the French DIY association (FMB).

Mr Degelcke commented upon his election: “I am very honoured to have the opportunity to lead the principal European organisation representing retail and wholesale. I look forward to bringing my experience and expertise to help continue the great work by EuroCommerce under Kenneth Bengtsson’s leadership. The sector is undergoing a major digital transformation, while also facing economic and policy challenges in the EU, including growing protectionism and economic nationalism. A stronger and more competitive Europe is the only way we will compete with other major global economic powers. We need an effective and unified representation of our sector in Europe, and a better public understanding for the positive role that retail and wholesale play in the lives of European citizens and businesses. I am keen to play my part in achieving this over the next three years. And I am calling upon my fellow retail and wholesale leader to be more engaged in this.”

Stepping down from his role as President, Kenneth Bengtsson, added: “I believe we have strengthened EuroCommerce over the past three years, and achieved better recognition for retail and wholesale, despite a challenging economic and policy context. Our members look forward to working under the leadership of Régis. He is a passionate leader of the industry and will help EuroCommerce to reach new heights.”

~ENDS~

Contact: Kinga Timaru -Kast - +32 2 894 64 83 - [email protected] Neil McMillan - +32 2 737 05 99 - [email protected] www.eurocommerce.eu •••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• EuroCommerce is the principal European organisation representing the retail and wholesale sector. It embraces national associations in 31 countries and 5.4 million companies, both leading multinational retailers such as , Ikea, Metro and , and many small family operations. Retail and wholesale provide a link between producers and 500 million European consumers over a billion times a day. It generates 1 in 7 jobs, providing a varied career for 29 million Europeans, many of them young people. It also supports millions of further jobs throughout the supply chain, from small local suppliers to international businesses. EuroCommerce is the recognised European social partner for the retail and wholesale sector.