France's Les Mousqetaires Group has announced the departure of Thierry Cotillard, the president of its ITM Alimentaire business, which operates the Intermarché and Netto brands.
The departure of Cotillard, which came as a surprise to industry analysts, was announced in a letter to Intermarché members yesterday afternoon (30 September).
'Formidable Efficiency'
In the letter, Cotillard said that his five-year spell as Intermarché president was a 'great pleasure', thanking members for supporting the retailer's growth with 'formidable efficiency'.
Cotillard also announced that the name of his successor – Vincent Bronsard, operator of Intermarché outlets in Vanves and Orgeval, who has headed up the group's marketing and brand communication functions since 2017.
Cotillard will depart his role on November 30, and prior to that, Intermarché members are due to meet to discuss the group's 2021 roadmap.
'Skilful Management'
Commenting on the move, analyst Olivier Dauvers said that the Intermarché brand has developed "commercially as well as socially" in the period since Cotillard's arrival in April 2015.
"Market share has been steadily increasing since then and 'the COVID year' has confirmed this," Dauvers wrote.
"But, in my eyes, the essence of Cotillard's mandate lies elsewhere. While Philippe Manzoni, the previous boss, had skilfully handled 'the carrot and the stick', an essential task at Intermarché, Thierry Cotillard opened it to the outside."
'Personal Involvement'
Elsewhere, Didier Duhaupand, Les Mousquetaires chairman, said that he would like to "warmly thank" Cotillard for all he has done with the business since taking office in 2015.
"We are all grateful for his personal involvement at all times in the service of our brands," he added.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
