C&A Europe: Wim Blaauw from Ikea appointed director of digital and transformation

Following the appointment of a general manager for France and a director of operations, Dutch fashion retailer C&A is continuing to strengthen its European management team. C&A Europe has just appointed Wim Blaauw, formerly of Ikea, to the position of director of digital and transformation. He will take up this position on January 1, 2024.

Prior to joining the Dutch fashion retailer, Wim Blaauw held the position of chief digital officer at Ingka Group, Ikea’s core subsidiary, since January 2022, where he was responsible for developing digital capabilities and accelerating the company’s digital transformation.

“I am very pleased that, together with Wim Blaauw, we have been able to attract a digital expert and consumer-focused leader to strengthen our management team. (…) I am confident that he and his teams will successfully strengthen our digital business at C&A,” said Giny Boer, CEO of C&A Europe, in a statement.

Wim Blaauw spent more than twenty years at Ikea in the Netherlands, which he joined in 2002. He started out as shop manager at Ikea Haarlem, before becoming country manager for retail logistics. Wim Blaauw then worked in the UK and Ireland as deputy managing director, leading multi-channel transformation. He then became director of customer satisfaction, leading all order management operations worldwide.

With this appointment, the C&A management team aims to continue its plan to transform C&A into an omnichannel retailer. In total, C&A has 1,300 shops in 17 European countries, employing more than 27,000 people. The company has initiated a restructuring of its activities at the end of 2021 to better adapt to changes in the market, tightening and modernising its network.