Summer, sun, superstars: the who's who of the industry came together in Frankfurt's Palmengarten. The highlight of the retail summer festival: the crowning of the "supermarket stars".
The team from Munich was delighted to win gold.
REWE made it to the final of LZdirekt 's "Supermarket Stars 2025" with four out of a total of twelve nominees: Davor Vrdoljak from Munich as "Store Manager of the Year" and Katharina Ernst from the REWE Centre Heidelberg-Rohrbach as "Store Manager of the Year" were delighted to win "Gold". But REWE salesman Dennis Henkelmann from Berlin and the team from the REWE store in Bad Münstereifel also had nothing to hide, as they were among the top three in the country in their categories with bronze and silver.
Likeable manager of the year: Katharina Ernst from Heidelberg
Influenced by her father, who told her stories from his everyday supermarket life as a little girl, "Store Manager of the Year" Katharina Ernst found her way into retail at an early age, initially as a temporary employee. She has now been a store manager for twelve years, taking responsibility for people and goods. Even as head of the Heidelberg REWE Centre (since 2022), she loves variety, still lends a hand herself and motivates her 125-strong team to perform at their best. With success: the "Gold" award at the "Supermarket Stars" enriches the Heidelberg REWE store's trophy collection, which already includes the "Supermarket of the Year" award and the award-winning wine, frozen food and fruit and vegetable departments. Katharina Ernst: "My team consists of all-rounders who can be deployed in different departments. One for all, all for one - that's what makes us special. Team-building events, summer and Christmas parties or personal gestures such as small birthday and holiday gifts are the norm for us. They strengthen team spirit and create a positive atmosphere in which I would like to work for many years to come."
Gold award winner Davor Vrdoljak (centre) was delighted to receive congratulations from regional manager Elisabeth Promberger and Alexander Rußler.
Gold Award winner Davor Vrdoljak was practically born into the trade. The family ran their own grocery shop in Yugoslavia. At the age of twelve, Davor Vrdoljak came to Germany with his family. In his new home country, the now 43-year-old worked his way up from apprentice to store manager. In 2019, he took over the highest-turnover REWE store in the southern region on Schleißheimer Straße in Munich. With him, 46 employees changed jobs - impressive proof of the store manager's popularity. Together, they almost doubled revenue. Davor Vdroljak brings his extensive retail experience to the table as a merchandise theme expert (TEK) and in the SAS circle in the southern region.
Reward for a strong team performance: Market manager Achim Horbach with trophy, fellow campaigners and Management Board member Peter Maly (left).
Summer 2021: The devastating flood disaster in the Ahr valley and the Eifel region also hits the REWE store in Bad Münstereifel and leads to the employees working in other stores for a year and a half before they are reunited in the newly rebuilt REWE. And how! Everyone pitches in, tidies up, supports each other at work and at home. The store has been open again since January 2023 - with a new concept, regional product ranges and a unique team spirit. Honesty, respect and loyalty - for store manager Achim Horbach, these values are the benchmark that characterises the team culture. His exemplary team spirit, courage and cooperation have now been recognised with a silver award in the "Best Team" category at Supermarktstars 2025.
Dennis Henkelmann (right) celebrates his success with his mentor Stephan Töpfer (Sales Department Region East).
"Working in retail runs in the family," says Dennis Henkelmann. "My grandfather had three grocery shops." Like granddad, like grandson: he has been running his own store on Revaler Straße in Berlin's neighbourhood since 2023. In two years, he has doubled his revenue, with the vegan range in particular seeing strong growth. The team has grown from 50 to over 90 employees, who supply around 50,000 people with food and defend the REWE brand against numerous competitors. For Dennis Henkelmann, taking responsibility is a driving force and a matter close to his heart.
"People movers": Franzis and Dietmar Tönnies attach great importance to a good corporate culture
"For me, this is a clear indicator that quality prevails and that first-class service and motivated teams will continue to be the key to success in the food retail sector in the future. That's why industry awards like this are always both a confirmation and an incentive for us and our store teams - confirmation of the great work and an incentive to become even better and not stand still," said our CEO Lionel Souque, recognising the achievements of our supermarket stars.
But REWE was not only well represented among the supermarket stars. In the lecture programme, our retailers' families gave insights into their corporate culture. Franzis and Dietmar Tönnies from REWE Tönnies in Odenthal presented their family approach to employee integration and motivation. Brothers Moritz, Philipp and Fabian Lenk from REWE Lenk in Bochum reported on the successful, cross-generational cooperation in the Kaufmann family, and David Hegemann from REWE Hegemann in Düsseldorf gave an insight into his customer-loyal social media strategy.
