The Midcounties Co-operative is confirming its commitment to the online experience it offers customers with the appointment of Sukie Rapal as head of digital.
Ms Rapal has joined the organisation from cruise.co.uk where she worked with social media, user-generated content, data collection and web strategy as international marketing director. She’ll now be working across Midcounties’ portfolio of specialist retail businesses, which include travel, childcare, healthcare and food, to increase revenue through the various digital platforms by “creating great customer experiences and journeys that are personalised and relevant”.
“We are delighted to announce Sukie’s arrival, which shows our ambition to become a real force online,” said Alistair Rowland, group general manager for specialist retail.
“The Co-op brand is very powerful in the digital environment and Sukie’s proven expertise and experience will prove invaluable to the Group in delivering our online strategy. We are very fortunate to secure her services and look forward to working with her.”
As head of digital, Ms Rapal will also be implementing new ways to make content easier to find online, whether that’s for travel customers researching and booking their holidays, or healthcare customers accessing resources and booking appointments more efficiently. Earlier this year the society launched a new member app, MyMidCoop, which acts as a virtual membership card, as well as offering quick access to food offers, membership points balance, news stories and a branch finder.
Midcounties has more than 500 sites and 507,000 members and was voted as Co-operative of the Year’ at 2016 Co-operative Congress. The society has also received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development and achieved a 5-star rating in Business in the Community’s Corporate Responsibility (CR) Index for 2017.
“I am excited to take up this role, as the Midcounties Co-operative has a unique proposition with an already engaged member base, passionate colleagues that really know their business and established bricks and mortar,” said Ms Rapal.
“The digital offering embraces and connects all of this to ultimately give new and existing customers and members choice, convenience and access to all the products and services that the Society has to offer, and there aren’t many companies that can really say that.”
