When Moritz Breske does a round through his REWE centre on Winterbeker Weg, he is on the move for a while. This is of course due to the sheer size of the centre. 7.the sales area measures 000 square metres, so it's quite a few metres from the counter to the checkout. The other reason is that along the way, the salesman encounters one or two of his employees and customers, with whom he enjoys exchanging a few words. Moritz Breske is particularly proud when he is able to help his customers. Once, he says, he met a customer in the middle of the store who had her arms full of goods. When asked if she needed a shopping basket, the woman replied: "Yes, I'd love one. I didn't actually want to buy that much." In these moments, the retailer knows: "I've done a good job. That's when my heart opens as a merchant."

From international to regional to very local: thanks to the large sales area, the product range is unrivalled. One of the highlights is the in-house honey produced by the busy bees of beekeeper Philipp Sosnowski (right) on the roof of the REWE Centre. Photo ©Moritz Breske The entrepreneurial gene is in Breske's blood: while his grandfather Johann Breske still repaired and sold cars from an American manufacturer, his grandson's heart beats for food. This was evident from a very young age. He held his first sales talks in his shop at the age of three. "Later, at school, I received my first and only reprimand when I tried to sell firecrackers to my classmates after New Year's Eve," he says with a wink.

So it was only natural for the talented salesman to complete an apprenticeship as a retail salesman immediately after his secondary school leaving certificate, at that time still at Sky (Coop Kiel). This was followed by the classic positions of assistant store manager in his early 20s, deputy store manager in Eckernförde and store manager in Flensburg. And then came the first major project: the integration of the Kiel "Plaza" store* into REWE Nord. "That was a turning point because Coop Kiel, founded in 1899, was an institution here in the north." But the ambitious young manager quickly recognised his opportunities. After years of stagnation at Sky due to a considerable investment backlog, there was finally financial room for manoeuvre. Breske was able to hire new people. "I experienced growth for the first time," he looks back.

Even bigger than the changeover from Sky/Plaza to REWE was getting used to the space: from 1,800 square metres in Flensburg to 7,000 on the fjord. "A huge task, combined with huge opportunities. Thanks to the broad and deep product range, we were able to set many accents and finally really get going," recalls the 37-year-old, who initially managed the new REWE Centre as a permanent store manager in 2019. Success was not long in coming: "We quickly gained new customers, including many younger ones."

When he was given the opportunity to apply for the completely modernised shop in his home town, Moritz Breske didn't have to think twice. He successfully completed the assessment centre, applied and was accepted. Since last summer, he has now been in charge of a wide and deep range of 45,000 items and is the boss of 170 employees.

The young businessman remembers his start-up phase with gratitude: "None of this would have been possible without support. At the centre, Dirk Stemmann (Sales Manager Area 14) and René Jakob (then Area Sales Manager, now Sales Manager) provided the guidelines within which I could let off steam and add my own personal touch."

Team player: Moritz Breske with master butcher Sven Sörensen (left) and part of the service team. Photo ©Achim Bachhausen The helpfulness of his retailers colleagues during the familiarisation phase made a lasting impression on him: "There are a whole host of colleagues who I can call at any time and ask 'stupid' questions. They all started out small and have a great interest in you getting it right. There's no competitive pressure at all." And so the young businessman started with a leap of faith - but also with the clear expectation: "Don't disgrace us, REWE."

During this time, the company founder got to know and appreciate the cooperative structures of REWE Group. "Working on the committees is an opportunity to give something back to REWE," says Moritz, who is involved in the IT expert group, for example.

No less important for Moritz was his personal support: in the middle of the turbulent start-up phase, he got married, bought a house, renovated it and became a father.

A sense of humour and self-irony: Moritz Breske with a hidden object collage, including a portrait of the boss, a gift from his employees for the opening. Photo ©Achim Bachhausen Moritz also lives the culture of trust experienced in the cooperative with his team: "My job is to communicate my vision to my management team and to trust that our employees will make the right decisions independently within the guidelines. I have divided the store into five areas. There is an assistant and two subordinate team leaders for each one. All team leaders meet once a month to exchange ideas. I tell them what I want, and our senior managers tell me what they need from me so that they can do their job even better. I'm always impressed by the great ideas that come out of this."