Jumbo appoints new head of Belgian branch

Dutch Jumbo Groep Holding has made a management reshuffle, with Peter Isaac becoming the new managing director of the group’s Belgian branch. Bart van den Nieuwenhof meanwhile is set to leave the group’s restaurant chain La Place.

In, in and out

Peter Isaac will become the head of Jumbo’s Belgian operations in September. As a COO and board member at Lidl Belgium for the past fourteen years, he should be the right man to develop Jumbo’s presence in Belgium. The chain’s founder Frits van Eerd says Isaac’s appointment is a clear indication of the ambition of his company to become one of the most important players in Belgium’s food retail market.

Another newcomer is Olaf de Boer, who has become Jumbo’s executive director Buying & Merchandising. De Boer has over twenty years of experience in the domestic and international retail sector, including jobs at Ahold and Metro. Van Eerd sees De Boer as an expert in private label, fresh produce, purchases and range management, whose capacities will serve his company well. 

On the other hand, La Place will have to say goodbye to its managing director Bart van den Nieuwenhof, whose job to reboot the Dutch restaurant chain has been successfully completed 2.5 years after its purchase by Jumbo. Now the focus moves to international expansion, Van den Nieuwenhof feels he needs a new challenge and leaves the company. “Bart has laid the foundations for a successful common future for La Place and Jumbo”, Van Eerd thinks, “and we are very grateful for that”.