Martin Ward has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of the Country Range Group, following Coral Rose’s move to Fairway Foodservice. He will officially begin his role at the buying group on October 1st and was previously in the position of trading director.
Ward said: “I am delighted to be appointed the new Country Range Group chief executive and am truly excited about the opportunities ahead for our members and the Group as a whole. It’s been an incredibly tough last few years and turbulent times may lay ahead but if I have learnt anything in recent times, it’s that our Group has the resources, creativity, resilience and most importantly – the amazing people within our teams, to face and conquer anything thrown at us. I have learnt so much from our members during my time and am passionate about the Group retaining its place as leaders in our industry for many more years to come.”
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“We have ambitious plans over the next few years to reach a target of £1billion in sales turnover so we have highlighted four strategic areas that we need to focus on as a Group and individually; scale, sustainability, data and the development of the Country Range brand. Our mission is still “to ensure our members achieve a faster and more profitable growth by being a member of our group” and I strongly believe that by achieving these strategic goals we will do this,” he added.
Commenting on Ward’s appointment, John Gould, the longest-serving Country Range Group Board Member and managing director of Turner Price Ltd, said: “A huge congratulations to Martin on becoming the Group’s new chief executive. It wasn’t a difficult decision as we knew we had one of the best trading directors in the industry already in our ranks. Martin knows the members and Group inside out and his detail and knowledge when it comes to buying is second to none. We know he has the skills, determination and tenacity to succeed at whatever he does, so we’re delighted he accepted the role.”
