This is Coop Denmark’s new CEO

Coop Denmark CEO Kræn Østergård Nielsen. Photo: Coop Denmark
My priority will be to create Denmark's most satisfied customers, says incoming top manager in Danish Coop, Kræn Østergård Nielsen. Photo: Coop Denmark
By Reidar Molthe

8 September 2020 14:33

This is Coop Denmark’s new CEO

Executive Vice President Kræn Østergård Nielsen has been appointed CEO of Coop Denmark. Thus, the Danish grocery giant has found a replacement for its longtime CEO Peter Høgsted

The choice has fallen on the 40-year-old Kræn Østergaard Nielsen, who until now has served as Executive Vice President of Coop. He now takes over the top manager chair from Peter Høgsted, who is also resigning, Coop states in a press release.

“With Kræn, we get a CEO who is respected by all parts of the Coop family. A leader who over the past seven years has documented extremely strong results, and who has the fundamental understanding of Coop's uniqueness as a member-owned company,” says chairman of the board Lasse Bolander.

Kræn Østergård Nielsen began his career as a sales assistant at SuperBrugsen Hørning in East Jutland, where he grew up. Here he worked from 1995-1999 while studying economics and leadership.

Since then, he became a buyer in Dansk Supermarked, marketing manager in 3-Stjernet, and from 2004-2012 he was, among other things. divisional director at ISS before joining McKinsey & Company in 2012 as a management consultant. In Coop, he has, among other things, been property director, technology director and member of the executive board as CFO.

“My most important tasks will be that customers get even better experiences when they visit our stores. My priority will be to create Denmark's most satisfied customers,” says Kræn Østergård Nielsen.

The new top manager says he wants to focus on quality, climate, ecology, and strong local change. At the same time, Coop must invest in new technology that can make customers' everyday lives easier.

“Finally, I want to ensure that we are one company that talks well and constructively together and come together to make the biggest possible difference for our almost 1.9 million Danish owners and customers,” says Kræn Østergård Nielsen.

Coop has 40,000 employees and an annual turnover of DKK 50 billion. The group operates the grocery chains Fakta, Kvickly, SuperBrugsen, Dagli'Brugsen and Irma.

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