Today’s Group Managing Director to Retire

18/06/2008

Nisa-Today’s has announced that Rodney Hunt, the long standing managing director of its wholesale arm – the Today’s Group - is to retire in March 2009.

Rodney, 57, has been at the helm of the Today’s Group since its inception in 1987, having joined Nisa in 1982 and worked alongside the group’s founders Dudley Ramsden (now life president) and Peter Garvin. He is extremely well regarded across the industry as a champion of the independents, most notably through his four consecutive years as chairman of the Federation of Wholesale Distributors from 2002 to 2006.

During his time with the group, Rodney has achieved tremendous success including:

  • Running the group’s Central Distribution arm since its inception in 1985 until 1992.
  • Leading its Central Buying Consortium (CBC) from 1994 to 1998.
  • Developing the Today’s Group to become the UK’s largest wholesale buying group.
  • Launching the Foodservice divisions of Today’s to allow greater focus on this specialised area of trading.
  • Forming the three divisions of the Today’s Group – 1, 2, and 3 – to simplify the operation of the group as a whole.

Rodney commented, “I have a great passion for the independent sector and am a strong believer in its survival against the multiples. I have thoroughly enjoyed the past 26 years I have been with Nisa-Today’s, working with Peter and Dudley and all of our members and am grateful for having worked with such a super team of people. However, there are things that I would still like to achieve in my personal life before I become much older and I look forward to having the time to achieve them when I retire next year.”

Neil Turton, chief executive officer of Nisa-Today’s added, “Rodney has made a fantastic contribution to every part of Nisa-Today’s over a long career, having been involved in the development of Central Distribution, making a success of our Central Buying Company and latterly, leading the Today’s Group. Rodney is immensely well-respected throughout the grocery industry and manages to somehow accomplish the potentially difficult combination of being a very tough negotiator, with being a very popular man.”

The Today’s Group will begin the search for a successor to Rodney Hunt very shortly.

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