On June 1, 2021, Yvan Verougstraete handed over his CEO position of the Medi-Market Group to Cédric Antoine, former Executive General Manager of Cora Belgium-Luxembourg. Passionate about entrepreneurship and new technologies, he brings to the Belgian (para)pharmacy brand his extensive retail experience. Yvan Verougstraete retains his position as board member.
It was a “carefully considered personal decision” that led the founder of Medi-Market to step down from the group’s operational management on June 1. “Each of us has our strengths and weaknesses and once you have passed on what you do best, it seems interesting that someone else, with a different approach, different flaws but above all different qualities, can add their touch to take things further. Injecting new blood into our group is a healthy and positive choice,” emphasized Yvan Verougstraete, who was pleased to see a “creative personality with deep human qualities” succeed him.
Cédric Antoine (42) is the former Executive General Manager of Cora Belux, one of the flagship brands of the Louis Delhaize Group. He joined the group in 2002 as a financial analyst after training at HEC and a start in finance. He quickly climbed the ranks, becoming department director at Cora Belgium, then director of the Cora hypermarket in Foetz, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In 2012, Cédric Antoine launched Wink, Belgium’s first 100% online food supermarket. A bold move that was stopped six years later due to insufficient profitability, but which paved the way for other innovative concepts in a market that has become more receptive to e-commerce in recent years. Building on this expertise, Cédric Antoine has been leading the transformation program of the Cora brand in Belgium and Luxembourg since August 2018, from logistics and IT to operational processes.
“I am excited to join Medi-Market, which has experienced continuous growth since its creation by shaking up the traditional codes of the pharmaceutical and parapharmaceutical distribution market,” said Cédric Antoine. “The brand has launched new development projects in Belgium and internationally, and my mission will be to consolidate the know-how acquired by the Medi-Market teams and the existing structure to allow the group to continue growing.”
Married and father of three children aged 14, 11, and 6, Cédric Antoine lives in Walloon Brabant. He spends his free time between sports (rugby, alpine and water skiing, running) and music (he plays the piano and… the bassoon, the instrument personified by the grandfather in Peter and the Wolf).
