Big anniversary celebration in Cologne
Around 500 invited guests celebrated the company's anniversary on 22 June in the festively decorated Cologne Flora. "50 years of PENNY is an economic success story. We therefore have every reason to celebrate today," said Stefan Görgens, COO PENNY, in his brief welcoming address. He emphasised the cohesion within the PENNY team: "Together we have made PENNY what it is today - the discounter at the heart of people's lives," said Görgens.

Lionel Souque, CEO of the REWE Group, took the opportunity to congratulate PENNY personally: "The company's 50th anniversary means a lot to me, as I started my career at PENNY 27 years ago," said Souque. He emphasised the importance of the discounter for REWE Group: "PENNY Germany and PENNY International together generated a record turnover of over 15 billion euros last year and thus also made a significant contribution to REWE Group's overall profit. On behalf of the entire Management Board, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all of you," Souque continued.

These successes are the result of hard work, a clear strategy and the courage to break new ground. All of this is (too) quickly forgotten in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. In an emotional film, former companions who helped write PENNY's economic success story had their say, including former REWE Group Management Board members Manfred Esser and Stefan Magel.

At the end of the film, you could literally feel the emotional emotion of some of those present: the condensation of decades into a few minutes of film showed everything that had happened, everything that had been achieved together as a team. It was certainly the right moment to toast PENNY together.
After the spectacular show act by two artists, the live band Jephly and DJ Réne Pera got the celebrating guests going at the party that followed.

Joint birthday celebrations in the regions
Whether in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne or Durlach - the regional centres also took the opportunity to celebrate PENNY in style on this special occasion. A reason to look back: "50 years is a long time, a lot has happened. PENNY has undergone a real transformation, from a hard discounter with around 300 items in 1973 to a really successful super discounter. Today we have over 3,000 items in our range," said Klaus-Peter von Nethen, Chairman of the PENNY Südwest management, at the regional celebration in Durlach.

Embedded in a varied birthday programme with magicians, entertainment and DJs, the employees came together at the various regional locations to celebrate their PENNY. Many of those present were still able to remember their 40th birthday, as long periods of service are still not uncommon at PENNY. Proof of this? In the eastern region, the length of service of all 120 guests was totalled and came to over 1,690 years, i.e. over 14 years per employee.

For Michael Bothe, Chairman of the PENNY West management, it's no wonder that PENNY is so popular: "PENNY is the coolest employer I can imagine. The coolest food retail sector where our customers can shop. It was and still is one of my best decisions to become part of PENNY."

There was a lot of talk at the Elbe about PENNY's great development, especially as Claus-Dieter Ziemann, Chairman of the PENNY Nord management, has himself helped shape PENNY's success for over 41 years. "I have been able to accompany and shape the path of PENNY in the north for more than four decades. When I think about the fact that we have developed from selling on the pallet to the market hall in this period of time, it gives me goosebumps. It's amazing what we've achieved together. Fortunately, we have anniversaries so that we all have some time to look back. And with pride."

Overall, the feedback from employees at all the celebrations was consistently positive. "When I look around here, I get the impression that I'm at a real birthday party. We know and appreciate each other. We're not just office neighbours. We are a team together. We can rely on each other. We stand together and help each other when necessary," said Tina Mangold, Chairwoman of the PENNY Süd management team. A few hundred kilometres away, her colleague Sandro Piffczyk, Chairman of the PENNY East management team, put it this way: "The past few years with the pandemic and war in Europe have changed many things and made seemingly immovable things such as peace and freedom of movement a valuable commodity. We all long for consistency. And that is exactly what we have in the eastern region. We absolutely must continue to preserve that - our common ground."

Logisticians can also be wild and exuberant
There was also an exuberant atmosphere at the first celebrations at the logistics locations. One special feature: not only employees, but also their family members were invited. In addition to a barbecue station, various food trucks and drinks stands, there were also bouncy castles and face painting stations for the children. The festivities were very well received: "When you see the faces of the employees and their children, it makes your heart beat faster," said a delighted Andreas Krämer, Logistics Operations Manager in Neuhausen.

The warehouse tours on offer were very well received. This allowed the children to get to know their parents' workplace and, for example, try out a forklift truck for themselves. The festivities were accompanied by various bands and DJs, who ensured a good atmosphere in the evening, so that the dancing and partying continued until late in the evening.

Sven Gobiet, Head of Logistics at PENNY: "Many industries boast about their fast and sophisticated logistics. I always have to smile a little. Because what our PENNY logistics team achieves day after day, whether during a pandemic, supply bottlenecks, strikes, heat, storms or snow, is outstanding and makes an enormously important contribution to PENNY's overall success. The fact that the atmosphere doesn't suffer in the process not only makes me proud, but also satisfied. We can tackle things together - sometimes even work hard, but we can also celebrate together. That's real PENNY."

All lorry drivers and their families were also invited as a thank-you for the good cooperation. "Everyone was really thrilled. Looking back, everyone who wasn't able to attend and was told about the party over the next few days would have loved to come," says Sebastian Mahrenholz, Logistics Operations Manager in Eching. In any case, the wish for a repeat next year was expressed several times. An assessment that his colleague Daniel Krause from Landsberg shares unreservedly: "The best gift was indeed the time together, without the everyday pressure. I don't think we've ever sat at the site for so long and just talked. A great experience and the best team building."

Marathon celebrations in all 2,150 stores
For the actual birthday on 17 May, there was a cake for every store. But that wasn't the only present for the 2,150 or so store teams. There was also a birthday bonus so that the teams could celebrate individually. Whether it was a barbecue, picnic or bowling alley, each store could decide for itself.

At the end of the celebrations, great memories of wonderful moments of community and togetherness remain. Stefan Görgens also expressed his thanks on this occasion: "Every day, our 30,000 or so employees shape the face of PENNY and show what we stand for and what values we live by. All of this makes us the discounter in the neighbourhood. Our employees are the basis and guarantor of our success. In this respect, we are not only celebrating PENNY's birthday TOGETHER, but also a little bit as a TEAM."