United Co-ops Chief elected as CRTG Chair

Peter Marks, Chief Executive of United Co-operatives, the largest regional co-operative society in the UK, has been elected independent Chairman of the Co-operative Retail Trading Group (CRTG).
He succeeds Bob Burlton, Chief Executive of Oxford, Swindon & Gloucester Co-op, as chair of the buying and marketing group, which now accounts for 100 per cent of Co-op food trade.
Commented Mr Marks: "I am delighted that my fellow retailers have honoured me with this appointment at a time when Co-op food retailing is enjoying a period of sustained growth, through both organic development and acquisition. In recent years CRTG has been a major force in supporting these achievements and I pay particular tribute to Bob Burlton and the CRTG Chief Executive Malcolm Hepworth for their skill and determination in driving the organisation forward.
"Food suppliers large and small now recognise that the Co-op is a major force in the business, but, through CRTG, they also find us much easier to work with. I intend to make my contribution to developing our reputation on both these fronts."
CRTG accounts for &#163 5.3 billion of trade per year. United Co-operatives is the leading convenience store retailer in the regions it covers, which embraces an area stretching from the West Midlands to the Lake District and across Yorkshire.