DThe Schwarz group, which includes Liddell and Cofland, the world’s fourth-largest grocery store, controls the group’s second most important executive within days. It is now clear who will be Lidel’s CEO after future group boss Gerd Charsanovsky: this is Kenneth McGrath. The 46-year-old Irishman is no stranger to the trading group. Since 2009 he has been Head of Ireland’s Ireland Business. Since 2013, Liddell’s entry into the United States has been noticed.

He left the Schwarz Group in 2015, first switching to digital company Digital, and then became head of Save-a-Lot, an American discounter four years ago. “I am delighted to be back at Kenneth McGrath with an international business expert and manager with many years of experience who has already contributed to our success,” Krosanovsky was quoted as saying in a statement from the Schwarz Group.

With a turnover of 125 125 billion, the Schwarz transformations are designed to top the group and Lidl. McGrath will take over as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Legal Stifting and CO KG on October 1st. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. McGrath talks about the responsibility of the trading company’s international business in the “future”.

How long the transition period will last, above all, depends on how well Dieter Schwarz can manage the power balance of the Foundation Group, which has 500,000 employees. As in the case of long-time CEO Klose Gerrig, the approximately 82-year-old patriarch wants to ensure that power does not remain with the public partner alone, but other shareholders of Schwarz Underneath Strohand (SUT) clearly have a say in the restrictions. In a foundation company, SUT takes on the role of entrepreneur making decisions on strategic issues.