PRESS RELEASE 03. February 2022 ‒ Brabrand, Danmark
The Board of Silvan A/S announces the appointment of Mathias Kerp as the new Chief Executive Officer of Silvan with effect from 3rd February 2022. Jan Becker, his predecessor, will further stay with Silvan as Chairman of the Board. In parallel, Klaus Dolmer has been promoted from Head of Category Management to the Executive Team as the new Chief Purchasing Officer.
“We are very pleased that Mathias Kerp will take on the position as new CEO of Silvan. He has a broad and quite unique experience as an executive from both, the consumer goods industry as well as the retail business, which we believe will be very valuable for our company” says Jan Becker, Chairman of the Board in Silvan A/S.
“From the very first moment I started at Silvan, I was impressed how motivated, customer-focused and forward-looking the company and its employees are,” said Kerp. “The track record of Silvan over the last years is remarkable, while always remaining true to itself. I would like to continue this course for growth and discover new opportunities – for Silvan, its customers and its suppliers.”
Mr. Kerp, who had joined Silvan already in Q4 2021, will continue to drive Silvan’s strategic transformation to become the most convenient DIY chain in Denmark. The focus is on the ambitious growth plan based on modernizing the store network, a state-of-the art online business, a continued expansion of services and a strong commitment to make the business model greener and more sustainable. “The climate change is the major challenge affecting everybody,” says Mr. Kerp, “Silvan has already made big improvements in the last years to reduce the consumption of natural resources (e. g. electricity, paper and gasoline). We are now taking the next steps to built-up a unique more sustainable product assortment and accompanying services.”
“Klaus Dolmer, who has been with Silvan for over 20 years, has contributed during the last years significantly to the turnaround of Silvan and he is a great asset of the firm“, explains Jan Becker.
With the appointment of Klaus Dolmer as Chief Purchasing Officer, the Executive Team is now complete with a total of five members (CEO: Mathias Kerp, CFO: Keld Larsen, CSO: Rasmus Kjærgaard, CPO: Klaus Dolmer and COO: Michael Lange).
With Kerp taking over the CEO role, Jan Becker will continue to support Silvan as Chairman of the Board. “The strong development of Silvan especially in the last 3 year is impressive and I would like to take the opportunity to thank each and every one internally as well as our partners, for their strong support and commitment during this time. I am looking forward to support Mathias and Klaus in the future“, says Jan Becker.
Silvan is a leading Danish do-it-yourself (DIY) retail chain, which was established in 1874. Silvan mainly serves private customers through 42 DIY stores and an online shop in Denmark. Silvan's stores are located both in the cities and in the suburbs. The product offering includes not only all classic DIY products such as building materials and gardening equipment but also home improvement and smart home items, all with a special attention to sustainability (“Skabt med omtanke”). In recent years, the focus has been gradually expanded towards more customer comfort and customer service. Convenience services such as sawmill, colour toning, free rental of cargo bicycles as well as trailers, tool rental, key copying, and parcel pick-up, etc. have been expanded and are an integral part of the value proposition.
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