Swedish retailer Axfood has announced the appointment of Nicholas Pettersson as the new managing director of Willys, effective 1 February 2024.
He will succeed Thomas Evertsson, who has decided to conclude his career as an executive after almost 16 years at Willys and Axfood.
Klas Balkow, president and CEO of Axfood said, "After a stellar performance and leadership at Willys, I have the utmost respect for Thomas Evertsson’s decision to in an orderly way conclude his executive career after year-end."
Nicholas Pettersson
Pettersson (pictured) has worked for Axfood for almost 20 years, most recently as managing director of Axfood’s purchasing and logistics company Dagab – a role he has held since 2014.
Balkow added, "I am very happy that Nicholas Pettersson is the one who will succeed Thomas. Nicholas’ extensive experience from food retail and his current role at Dagab makes him perfectly suited with the relevant experience for this role.
"In addition, Nicholas is a very appreciated leader, always with a clear focus on customers, employees and the business."
The recruitment process to appoint Nicholas Pettersson’s successor in Dagab will start immediately, the company added.
'Strong Position'
Commenting on his new role, Pettersson said,"I feel honoured to have been given the opportunity to succeed Thomas, who has developed Willys to become Sweden’s most recommended food retail chain.
"I very much look forward to continuing to develop Willys’ strong position with Sweden’s cheapest bag of groceries together with the incredibly skilled and talented team at Willys."
Willys, the Axfood-owned chain, has more than 200 stores in Sweden. Of these, slightly more than 50 are Willys Hemma stores, a smaller format of Willys in neighbourhood locations.
