The Peninsula Co-op has announced it has found a new chief executive after an “extensive search” following the retirement of Dave Hoy.
Corey Gillon will take over as the top job at the Vancouver Island retail chain, which operates stores from Duncan to the Saanich Peninsula, as well as Comox and Campbell River. It is known for its gas station and convenience store, but also offers many card lock locations as well as two liquor stores.
A Harvard Business School graduate, Gillon most recently served as CEO of cannabis startup Choom and has held senior executive retail roles at companies including Walmart and Aritzia for more than 25 years, according to a press release. His first day is scheduled for November 14th.
“Cory understands and values the positive impact local retail organizations can have on the communities he serves, as he moved to and became an integral part of various neighborhoods during his tenure at Walmart,” reads the release. “His extensive experience in the retail industry, deep business background and the value of his local community connections will support Peninsula Co-op’s next phase of growth and diversification.”
While Gillon hasn’t officially started yet, Peter Haynes, assistant manager of one of the chain’s Langford locations, said he’s excited about the impact Gillon has made for the company.
“I think he’ll really remember that we’re a service-based industry, we’re a community-based industry, and of course we’re a retail business in a challenging economy,” Haynes said. “He obviously Worked on a lot of larger scale business ideas, so I thought it would be very interesting to see what he does in co-op. I think he’s going to bring a lot of really interesting things to apply to what we’re doing.”
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