GrandVision Benelux appoints new managing director

By

Shomara Roosblad

Published
Jan 30, 2019

Optical retailer GrandVision Benelux appointed Jan-Derek Groendendaal as its new managing director. Groenendaal will start at the company on 1 March.

At GrandVision, Groenendaal will be in charge of e-tailer Zonnenbrillen.com as well as more than 800 stores that include the company’s store portfolio such as Pearle, Eye Wish and GrandOptical.

GrandVision’s new managing director joins the company from Dutch food retail giant Ahold Delhaize, where he served as senior vice president of strategic projects since September 2018. Before that, Groenendaal was managing director at drugstore chain Etos for four years. He also held executive positions at perfume retailer ICI Paris XL and A.S. Watson’s Kruidvat, among others.

Groenendaal succeeds Leo van Welij, who was dismissed by the company earlier this month following internal complaints about aggressive behavior, alcohol abuse, nepotism and the creation of a culture of fear within the company, Dutch media reported on 16 January.

GrandVision operates in more than 40 countries across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia in over 6,700 stores and employing more than 31,000 people. On Tuesday, the company announced the acquisition of Dutch optical e-tailer Charlie Temple. In November 2017, the company acquired another Dutch online optical retailer, Zonnebrillen.com. With the recent acquisitions the company wants to strengthen its online position in both the Netherlands and Belgium.