German electronics retailer Ceconomy plans to propose chief financial officer (CFO) Remko Rijnders as chief executive officer (CEO) after Kai-Ulrich Deissner decided to step down for personal reasons, according to Reuters.

Deissner informed the company’s supervisory board that he intends to hand over the CEO role during the course of this year. He assumed the position in May 2025.

Deissner said: “It is time for me to open a new chapter in my life and reset my priorities. This is possible because Ceconomy is excellently positioned.

“The vision and mission of transforming MediaMarkt and Saturn from a traditional retailer into an omnichannel service platform has been implemented.

“After three years of continuous improvement in results, we are well on track to achieve our strategic goals, and the announced cooperation with JD.com has set the course for the next phase.”

Ceconomy said its supervisory board will discuss the leadership transition at a meeting scheduled for 12 March 2026.

The planned change comes as the company moves forward with a takeover by Chinese technology group JD.com.

Deissner, who has backed the proposed acquisition, said regulatory clearance for the transaction is expected in the first half of the year.

In November 2025, the Italian Government granted conditional approval to JD.com’s planned purchase of Ceconomy under Rome’s “golden power” framework, which allows authorities to block or impose conditions on deals involving strategically important assets.

However, the following month, Italy imposed strict personal data protection requirements in connection with JD.com’s acquisition of Ceconomy’s Italian operations.

Ceconomy, the owner of electronics retail chains MediaMarkt and Saturn, expects the transaction with JD.com to support improvements in logistics and technology.