Phil Ponsonby has been appointed as group general manager of The Midcounties Co-operative food business, after previously working for six years as chief operating officer for food retail and services at Southern Co-operative.
He will be responsible for driving the growth of 232 food retail stores at Midcounties Co-operative, including developing the offering of the larger format stores and the continued development of the group’s growing convenience estate. He is due to take up his new role in April.
Chief executive of the Midcounties Co-operative, Ben Reid said: “We have embarked on a number of new initiatives across our food business to further improve the products, range and service offered to our customers across our key trading areas. Phil’s in-depth experience of grocery retail and his understanding of the co-operative model means he’s ideally placed to drive our business forward.”
Phil Ponsonby added: “I’m excited about taking on a new challenge within the Co-operative movement and helping The Midcounties Co-operative to develop its retail business at a time of dynamic change in the grocery retail sector.”
