The anniversary celebration of our colleagues who have been part of REWE Group for 25 or 40 years and all employees who have switched to the passive phase of partial retirement or retired in 2025 after more than 25 years of service honours more than just the record number of 6,925 years of service. They are proof that it is possible to remain loyal to a company over a long period of time, even in times of change.

Of the 246 employees celebrating their anniversaries, 163 came to the Wolkenburg - more than ever before. 180 employees with 25 years of service, 25 colleagues with 40 years of service and 41 employees who have taken active or passive retirement after more than 25 years of service. These included colleagues from the Holding divisions, the Retail Germany head office, REWE digital, REWE Group Buying, DERTOUR Group Germany and the toom head office.

"It is a sign of loyalty and trust that we are celebrating more anniversaries here today than ever before. That is belonging. They have all shaped our company and accompanied it over the years. They all stand for our values: community, respect and courage, emphasised our Chief People and Sustainability Officer, Dr Daniela Büchel, in her speech.

"The jubilarians have lived an attitude that characterises our corporate culture: Belonging and the willingness to sometimes put personal matters behind business matters. They have accompanied many transformations and have built bridges between tradition and modernity," said Carsten Sorgert, Chairman of the works council of DERTOUR Deutschland GmbH, Cologne site.

Among the long-standing employees, Jörgen Bongartz from the DERTOUR Group was able to look back on the longest career with 46 years of service. His professional journey had taken him from the curtain department at Karstadt to the tourism industry after his apprenticeship. And even if it didn't necessarily look like it at the beginning during his training, he found his destiny in flight purchasing. "Bongi" shaped the flight sector like no other for many years. "I would like to thank 'Bongi' for 29 years of open, honest and respectful collaboration."

It's stories like these that make for a successful anniversary celebration. And that's why people came together in the Wolkenburg who started out on a path together at some point and lost sight of each other in the course of numerous changes. "Revel in memories together. I hope you'll meet up with people you may not have seen for years and swap anecdotes about former senior managers. That's what this celebration is all about," says Oliver Holler, Head of HR Retail Germany and Holding.