B&M’s new store in Hexham, Tyne Valley. Credit: B&M Retail Limited.

UK variety goods retailer B&M European Value Retail has appointed former Tesco executive Tjeerd Jegen as its new CEO to drive growth and transformation.

Jegen succeeds Mike Schmidt, currently serving as interim CEO, on 16 June 2025.

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B&M chair Tiffany Hall stated: “I am delighted to welcome Tjeerd to B&M. He is a highly talented international business leader with in-depth retail experience gained in Europe, Asia and Australasia across the grocery, general merchandise and value sectors. In a rigorous recruitment process, Tjeerd stood out from a strong list of candidates due to his strategic insight, customer-centric approach and strong track record of driving growth and transformation.”

Jegen’s career began at Ahold Delhaize where he acquired significant expertise in food retail in the Netherlands and Central Europe.

During his 25 years career, he has served as CEO at Metro Group in Romania and held senior leadership positions at Tesco in Thailand and Malaysia.

Jegen also served as CEO at HEMA, a Dutch value variety chain, in 2015.

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He said: “I’m honoured to join one of Europe’s leading value retailers at such a pivotal time. Value retail plays a crucial role in the lives of millions of consumers, and I’m passionate about working with the team to drive growth through great products, operational excellence, and a strong customer focus.”

In a separate development, B&M opened a new store in Hexham, Tyne Valley.

The company took over a former Homebase location and transitioned to a larger site following an extensive refurbishment.

The new establishment offers more than 17,000ft² of retail space and a 6,373ft²  garden centre.

This expansion has created 20 local jobs.

the new B&M store’s manager stated: “We’re feeling extremely positive about the creation of more jobs for local people, and we hope customers are going to be delighted with their new store.”