Andy Rigby gears up to step aside from role as CEO at UK independent retailer the East of England Co-op
Andy Rigby has announced his departure from East of England Co-op, where he spent just over four years, most recently serving as CEO.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “Farewells are never easy. But they're made easier when there is so much to celebrate. The time has come to step aside from my role as CEO of the East of England Co-op. We can all be incredibly proud of what we have achieved together, and I want to offer a heartfelt thank you to our colleagues, suppliers, board of directors, members and customers for their support during my time with the East of England Co-op.”
He added: “Over recent years, we’ve delivered an £8 million turnaround in underlying trading profit, which was achieved through three consecutive years of growth. While those results are something to be proud of, what gives me the greatest sense of pride is the culture we’ve built together. We’ve united behind a clear strategy, a simple vision and mission, and a set of values that are reflected each day in the way our colleagues support one another, serve members and customers and contribute to our communities.”
Rigby won’t be leaving until early next year, and will be supporting the board in finding his successor, leading nearly 3,000 colleagues across 200 locations in the East of England.
“For now, it’s about focus. Keeping a strong momentum, delivering the plan and continuing to build a proudly independent and successful co-operative that will thrive for generations to come. With a talented leadership team and strong foundations in place, the business is well positioned to continue serving the communities that have supported us so well for over 155 years,” he commented.
“I’ve spent 45 years in retail, and it has passed remarkably fast. It has been a privilege to lead throughout that time. I’ve loved the journey, the learning, and the opportunities it has brought. But more than anything, it’s the people I’ve met along the way who have made it so rewarding. In great businesses, it’s always about the people. So, what’s next for me? Who knows? A break to do some travelling? Perhaps some work abroad, interim, fractional? I’m looking forward to finding out! From the heart, for all the years, and all the brilliant times together - thank you.”
A spokesperson for East of England Co-op said: “The impact Andy has had since joining our co-op has been significant. We've achieved three consecutive years of profit growth, creating a strong foundation for future investment and development. Alongside this, we've embraced innovation and technology, strengthened our commitment to sustainability, expanded our support for local charities and good causes, and earned industry recognition that reflects the dedication and hard work of colleagues across our co-op.”
They added: “Throughout his time with us, Andy has championed our values and helped build a strong, successful and proudly independent co-op. We are grateful for his leadership, commitment and the positive impact he has made across our co-op and the communities we serve.”
TNS
Transaction Network Services (TNS) reports that East of England Co-op has deployed TNS Secure SD-WAN across more than 200 sites.
East of England Co-op required a more reliable and scalable network to support its growing digital footprint. Its previous infrastructure created operational challenges, with failover times of up to 90 seconds, disrupting PoS transactions and impacting store performance. Services were also fragmented across multiple provider divisions, limiting visibility, increasing costs and leaving no single point of accountability.
TNS Secure SD-WAN consolidates multiple network lines into a single, resilient connection with built-in redundancy, helping reduce failover from 90 seconds to instantaneous and providing uninterrupted transactions and back-office operations.
Centralised dashboards now provide East of England Co-op with real-time visibility across all locations, helping to improve compliance management and strengthen security oversight. The fully managed service model delivers a single point of accountability, allowing for simplified operations and faster issue resolution. The network provides a foundation for Internet of Things (IoT) initiatives, energy management systems and advanced in-store analytics.
Richard Helliwell, Head of Technology Services at East of England Co-op, says: “Reliable connectivity is critical to delivering seamless customer experiences across our stores. By partnering with TNS, we now have a resilient, future ready network that supports our day-to-day operations while enabling continued innovation and growth across our estate.”
Since deployment, East of England Co-op says that it has achieved uninterrupted connectivity across its network, with zero visible downtime during failover events. The move to a single managed service has simplified operations, reduced vendor complexity and delivered estimated operational savings of 10–15% through line consolidation and improved efficiency, it adds.
“East of England Co-op demonstrates how retailers can transform operations when connectivity is reliable and simple to manage,” says Matthew Thomas, Managing Director, UK & Ireland, Transaction Network Services (TNS). “TNS Secure SD-WAN provides the resilience and visibility multi-site retailers need to eliminate downtime today while building a platform for future innovation.”
