Central England Co-operative appoints Matt Birch as new Trading Executive
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 05/09/2017
Central England Co-operative has announced the appointment of Matt Birch as the Society’s Trading Executive; a vacancy created due to Tony Carroll, Deputy Chief and Trading Executive retiring later this year. Central England is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 people. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property investment, with over 400 trading outlets across 16 counties.
Matt Joins from Sainsbury’s where he was recently Director of Commercial Operations with responsibility for central trading activities and the Convenience channel, having previously held director roles in Finance and Property and run retail operations in the North West.
In his new role of Trading Executive at Central England Co-operative Matt will be responsible for all aspects of the Society’s diverse portfolio of businesses, including Trading Development, Customer and Marketing, Food Retail, Funeralcare, Travel and other specialist businesses.
Martyn Cheatle, Chief Executive said of the appointment: “Central England Co-operative is delighted to welcome Matt at a time of growth and development for our Society. We value the experience he brings with him and we are all looking forward to working together for a bright future for our colleagues and members”
Commenting on his new role Matt said: “I’m really excited to be joining Central England Co-operative where I can combine my retail experience in a growing and forward thinking environment, with my interests in community development and social investment. My role will be to ensure the future development and growth of an already highly successful Co-op.”
Added to his commercial expertise, Matt also holds a Non- Executive role with Mersey Care NHS Trust, a specialist mental health trust with a strong focus on delivering for the communities and people it represents. Matt has been a strong advocate for the community agenda and was drawn to the role at Central England Co-operative because of its very public and wide ranging set of community investment schemes, as well as the society’s ethical and democratic structure
Notes to editors
About Central England Co-operative
Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with gross sales of £927 million in 2016/17. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property investment. Central England Co-operative has over 400 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2017.
Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility. It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence. The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.
Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.
Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop
For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Sarah Ashton /Rob Smyth / Heather Clapton at Central England Co-operative on:
01543 414140
Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop