PENNY celebrated its 50th anniversary on 17 May. The management team congratulated the employees with a letter of thanks. As a sweet thank you, all 2,150 PENNY shops received a birthday cake. PENNY COO Stefan Görgens personally surprised the store team in Ratingen-Lintorf.
Stefan Görgens
"50 years of PENNY means half a century of discount in the REWE Group. This anniversary means an incredible amount to me. Without our 30,000 employees, it would not have been possible to get to where we are now. That's why today is an important day to look back and say 'thank you'," said Stefan Görgens at the birthday celebration.
Store manager Tobias Tupp was amazed when PENNY COO Stefan Görgens surprised him with a cake to mark the 50th anniversary. "I am delighted that we are celebrating our birthday together today. It makes me proud to see how PENNY has developed over the last few years," said Tupp. The trained retail salesman has been employed at PENNY for six years.
Sascha von der Heiden, Tobias Tupp, Stefan Görgens (from left)
Tobias Tupp has been managing the store in Ratingen-Lintorf since November 2022 with a team of 13 employees. First representative Sascha von der Heiden was also delighted with the visit from the PENNY COO: "It's not every day that Mr Görgens surprises us with a birthday cake in the shop," said von der Heiden.
Not only the PENNY store in Ratingen-Lintorf was surprised with a sweet gesture - all the other 2,100 shops were also delighted to receive a birthday cake, which was delivered by courier.
The PENNY birthday cake
Manuela Hennerfeind
On 17 May, it wasn't just PENNY that celebrated its 50th birthday - store employee Manuela Hennerfeind also had reason to celebrate, as she also turned 50 on the same day.
"I grew up in Lower Bavaria and am exactly the same age to the day as the company where I have been working for almost 35 years. I completed my three-year apprenticeship as a retail clerk at PENNY. I then worked in sales and later as a store manager. Then my daughter was born and family came first. But I was pleased that I was soon able to join a great team at PENNY again. I deputised for the store manager, worked at the till or as a cleaner. Of course, I experienced a lot of modernisation and renovation work. In February, our shop was extended into a market hall. It's really nice now and it's fun to work there. We used to have to memorise all the prices. Today it's easier. I congratulate PENNY and all the other birthday celebrants," says Manuela Hennerfeind.
The first PENNY store opened in Limburg an der Lahn on 17 May 1973. Today, millions of customers shop at PENNY in over 2,100 stores every year. How did it all begin and what were the most important milestones in the company's history?
in1973 , the Leibbrand Group created a new sales line and the first PENNY store in Limburg an der Lahn. in 1974 , REWE headquarters acquired a 50 per cent stake and REWE Handelsgesellschaft Leibbrand oHG was founded. The store network grew very quickly: in 1975 it comprised 46 stores, by 1979 there were already 321 shops. Warehouses were built in Rosbach, Norderstedt and Wiesloch and in 1983 the new regional centre in Lehrte was ready for operation.
From 1985 , scanner tills were tested and from 1987 all newly opened shops were equipped with them. in 1988 the 1000th PENNY store opened and in 1989 the REWE head office took over all shares in PENNY. 1990 saw the opening of the first PENNY store in East Germany. When PENNY celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1998 , the store network had grown to 2,474 stores by the end of the year. in 1999 , a new sales concept with a new logo and shop layout was developed. Opening hours were extended and EC cash was introduced.
The first baking stations for bread and baked goods were added in 2000 . in 2007, the organic own brand Naturgut was added to the shelves with 30 items, and by the end of the year the number had grown to 90. In the same year, PENNY became the first discounter in Germany to start supplying food banks. in 2008 , it launched cash payments at the checkout. 2009 saw the launch of the new premium umbrella brand "Feine Kost". in 2011 , the first national TV campaign with the slogan "Erstmal zu PENNY" went on air. in 2013 , the customer magazine "mittendrin" was published for the first time.
today's Förderpenny was launched in2016 . in 2018 , PENNY was awarded the "berufundfamlie" quality seal and the existing five regions were formed from eight. 2020 saw the launch of the market hall concept, the Kronau logistics centre went online and the first sustainability experience store opened in Berlin. The first vegan own brand was also launched with "Food For Future". Sponsorship of the PENNY DEL (German Ice Hockey League) and the German Ice Hockey Federation began.
Special collection to mark the 50th anniversary
To celebrate PENNY's 50th birthday, all PENNY colleagues can purchase a #teampenny collection at anniversary prices. The #teampenny collection includes hoodies, T-shirts and socks in various colours and sizes and is available via the following online shop: https://penny.shirtschleuder.de/
