Focus on omnichannel and digital innovation as Industry veteran Alex Dower takes on MD role at Co-op Retail
Co-op has announced the appointment of Alex Dower as Managing Director of its retail business. He joins with more than two decades of senior leadership experience spanning food retail, convenience, hospitality and FMCG. Dower has held leadership roles at Tesco, Holland & Barrett, Pret A Manger, Harrods, Woolworths Australia, Mars and PepsiCo.
In his new role, he will be directly responsible for one of the UK’s largest convenience retailers with a store footprint in over 2,300 locations, a quick commerce operation and with an annual turnover in excess of £7.25 billion.
Key focus areas will be accelerating Co-op Food retail growth, strengthening the customer proposition, and supporting innovation across stores and digital channels.
Kate Allum, Interim Group CEO, says: “Alex brings a wealth of experience and a passion for building successful customer focused businesses, in ways that make a meaningful difference to customers' everyday lives. His personal values and leadership approach are fully aligned with our Co-op and I’m excited about the impact he will have in driving our Food Retail business forwards. “
Dower says: "I'm delighted to be joining Co-op at such an important time for the business. Co-op stores are woven into communities across the UK, and I'm looking forward to working with our fantastic colleagues to make it even more relevant to members and customers every day. Co-op's purpose and values are what set it apart, and I'm excited to build upon the strong foundations already in place, accelerating growth and innovation, while staying true to what makes it so special.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards, which celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world, have now closed for entries. Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
