Co-op has announced the appointment of Alex Dower as the new managing director of its retail business unit.

Dower joins from the management consulting firm Bain & Company, where he has worked as a senior external advisor since May.

He has a range of experience in retail leadership, having spent over two years as the chief executive for Holland & Barrett International, overseeing the wellness retailer’s 16 omni-channel markets and reporting directly to the chairman. Prior to this, he was group chief commercial officer at Holland & Barrett.

Dower also spent time as director of foods and restaurants at Harrods, chief executive at the Sydney-based bakery business Sonoma Baking Company and chief commercial officer at Woolworths Supermarkets.

Other retailers Dower has worked at include Pret A Manger, Tesco, PepsiCo and Mars.

Kate Allum, interim group chief executive at Co-op, said: “Alex brings a wealth of experience and a passion for building successful customer-focused businesses, in ways that make a meaningful difference to customers' everyday lives.

“His personal values and leadership approach are fully aligned with our Co-op and I’m excited about the impact he will have in driving our Food Retail business forwards.”

Co-op said Dower’s initial focus will be to support innovation across its stores, accelerate Co-op Food growth and deliver value to its customers. The supermarket chain cited Dower’s experience as CCO at Woolworths, in which he overhauled its food offerings and improved its growth, as a track record he can continue at Co-op.

In June, Co-op reshuffled its food leadership teams in the wake of the departure of its group managing director Matt Hood, commercial director for strategy and supplier relationships Tom Bradley and commercial director for fresh and chilled Nicole Tallant.

As part of the change, it appointed Imran Rasul as its first chief commercial officer.

---