Polish wholesaler Eurocash Group has appointed Marek Lipka as the general director of its Eurocash Franczyza business, which operates the Delikatesy Centrum chain.
Lipka will assume his new role in August, and he is responsible for the development of the Delikatesy Centrum franchise network.
Lipka is an experienced professional with over 20 years of experience in the retail sector. Most recently, he served as the commercial and supply chain director and a member of the management board of Carrefour Polska.
He brings experience in building and implementing franchise model development strategies the formats of convenience stores, mini-markets, supermarkets and hypermarkets, the group said in a statement.
He also specialises in business transformations and building long-term partnerships, Eurocash added.
'Many Years Of Experience'
Dariusz Stolarczyk, member of the management board of the Eurocash Group, responsible for retail segment said, "Marek Lipka has many years of experience in managing the development of both modern retail formats and the franchise offer.
"I am convinced that with his support as the general director of Eurocash Franczyza, we will be able to implement the provisions of the strategy even faster and more efficiently and effectively reposition the network, which is already the most comprehensively managed network in our portfolio."
Lipka's appointment will bring the company closer to the implementation of the business strategy for 2023-2025, announced in August of last year, Eurocash added.
The plan involves developing the company's omnichannel capabilities, investing further in its franchise and partner networks, and developing a tech platform for local operators during the period 2023-2025.
Delikatesy Centrum
Delikatesy Centrum is known for its offer of quality fresh products, including fruit, vegetables and meat.
The 24-year-old chain had a network of nearly 1,500 outlets as of the end of 2022, which comprised around 1,100 franchise stores and 400 company-owned outlets, operated by the Eurocash Group.
Last year, the Delikatesy Centrum chain saw like-for-like sales up 12%.
