Co-op announces appointment of Ronny Gottschlich to its Board

29 January 2026

Today, Thursday 29th January 2026, the Co-operative Group (“Co-op”) announces that Ronny Gottschlich will be joining its Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director.

Ronny has extensive retail experience, as former CEO of Lidl UK, and across many senior leadership roles for the Schwarz Group in multiple European markets, and in his advisory work as founder of Heunadel Retail Advisory.

Debbie White, Chair of the Co-operative Group comments:

“We’re delighted to welcome Ronny to our Board and to our Co-op. Ronny brings a wealth of experience and joins us at an important time for our Co-op as we look to grow our Co-op for the future, for the benefit of our 7 million members across the UK.”

Ronny Gottschlich adds:

“I’m excited to be joining the Co-op, a business with genuine purpose, and for the opportunity to work with the Board and Leadership team to deliver the next stage in the strategy for growth.”

ENDS

For further media enquiries please contact:

• Russ Brady, 07880 784442, russ.brady@coop.co.uk
• Cat Turner, 07834 090783, catherine.turner@coop.co.uk

About Co-op

Co-op Group is one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives, operating across food retail, funerals, insurance and legal services. Owned by 7 million active member-owners, Co-op exists to meet their needs and champion the causes they care about. With more than 2,300 food stores, 800 funeral homes and a wholesale business supplying around 8,000 additional outlets, Co-op employs 53,000 colleagues and generates annual revenues of over £11 billion. It is a recognised leader in ethical business and community-led programmes, creating long-term value for members and communities across the UK.