It's another record figure: all those celebrating anniversaries at REWE Group's Central locations who were honoured in Cologne at the end of November had a combined total of 6,186 years of service.
Every year, REWE Group's jubilarians are honoured in the festively decorated Wolkenburg in Cologne. This year, a total of 218 jubilarians were honoured, including 159 with 25 years of service and 38 employees who entered the passive phase of partial retirement or retirement in 2024. An impressive 21 employees have been with the company for over 40 years.
Dr Daniela Büchel, Board Member for HR and Sustainability
Our Board Member for HR and Sustainability, Dr Daniela Büchel, paid tribute to the commitment and loyalty of the employees celebrating their anniversaries: "The fact that we can honour a total of 6,186 years of service today - more than ever before - says a lot about our corporate culture. This is the foundation of our success. Thanks to the tireless commitment of our jubilarians, we have been able to overcome many challenges and build a strong community. This can fill us as a Group with pride."
Christian Isselbächer, General Works Council toom Baumarkt DIY store
Christian Isselbächer, General Works Council member at toom Baumarkt DIY store, addressed the participants on behalf of all works councils. He thanked the jubilarians for their many years of service to REWE Group and emphasised that in today's fast-paced world, it is no longer a matter of course to remain loyal to a company for 25 or even 40 years.
Congratulations from Peter Maly to Marie-Luise Arns-Sevecke
The joint celebration of the REWE Group units based in Cologne takes place annually. The jubilarians from the Holding divisions, Head Office Retail D including COO REWE, COO Penny, REWE Digital, REWE Group Buying and the headquarters of toom Baumarkt DIY store were honoured. REWE Digital employees from the regions were also present. DER Travel and Tourism employees from Cologne and the central divisions in Frankfurt were also present.
The employees' superiors, Management Board members, members of management and the works councils were also present.
Everyday office life has evolved and digitalised over the years. Mobile working with laptops and mobile phones is now the norm. In addition to work tools, communication channels have also changed: Long-standing employees are still familiar with pneumatic post, a mechanical transport system that used compressed air to convey documents through pipes between different locations within a site.
Clothing has become much more casual: Whereas suits and ties used to be worn every day, jeans and trainers are now the norm. We have moved on from the strict hierarchies that we used to have to flat hierarchies and a widespread informal culture.
We asked six jubilarians how their personal working environment has changed in terms of communication, work equipment and fashion:
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