After serving as Managing Director of SPAR Netherlands for nine years, Sjaak Kranendonk, has decided to step down from his role. He will be succeeded by John van der Ent from 1 January 2018.

The SPAR Board of Directors values the work that has been carried out by Sjaak in developing the SPAR Brand over the last nine years. Chairperson of the Board, Saskia van Walsum, said: “Sjaak, together with the Directors, the organisation and the retailers, has transformed SPAR from a traditional wholesale business into a modern Dutch food grocery chain. The change into a supermarket with a focus on daily shopping has made SPAR a successful niche player in the market and a financially sound company. We expect this trend to continue and we are very grateful to Sjaak for all he has done to help grow the brand.”

55 year-old John van der Ent takes on his new role with experience from his time as Operations Director of Makro in Spain and Malaysia. Amongst other roles, he was also responsible for V&D / La Place, Post Office BV and Etos. He is currently a board member of Samsung Business Solutions, where he is responsible for the digitization of the business’s retail division.

Commenting on his appointment, Saskia van Walsum, said: “John is a very experienced retailer with a wealth of experience. He is familiar with franchising and comes from a family of entrepreneurs. He will continue to lead the ongoing expansion and modernisation of SPAR in the coming years.”

John van der Ent said: “SPAR is a fantastic Dutch brand with a lot of potential which will be shown through more growth in the coming years. I’m really looking forward to this new role.”

Together with John van der Ent, Susanne Kroon (Commercial Director) and Edith Appels (Finance & Operations) will represent the Senior Management of SPAR Holding BV from 1 January 2018.