Belgian Olivier Van den Bossche will step down as CEO of HBC Europe, which manages both Galeria Kaufhof’s German stores and Galeria Inno’s Belgian stores. Wolfgang Link will be his successor.
Major loss
Despite reports that Van den Bossche decided to vacate his position himself, it may also be true that his position at HBC Europe became untenable after the company’s weaker results in the past fiscal year. The parent company, Hudson’s Bay, recently revealed that it suffered a 200 million euro loss in 2016 in Europe.
It is the end of an era for Van den Bossche, because he had been with the company since 2003. In 2004, he became director for the Brussels store and was Inno’s managing director in 2007. In 2014, he also became Galeria Kaufhof’s CEO.
An indelible mark
“We appreciate Olivier’s work to build HBC’s presence in Europe and support the integration of Galeria Kaufhof and Galeria INNO to our business. In addition, he has helped lay the foundation for Hudson’s Bay and Saks OFF 5TH to enter Europe. We wish him the best in his next endeavor,” Don Watros, HBC International director, said.
“I have enjoyed working with Olivier both professionally and personally. He is an excellent retailer who has made an indelible mark on our business,” HBC CEO Jerry Storch added.
Wolfgang Link will take over from Van den Bossche, having left toy chain Toys ‘R’ us, where he worked for the past ten years. He was the company’s director for European activities since 2013. Previously, he worked for Medimax and ElectronicPartner and also held several managerial positions at Metro Cash & Carry Group.
