{"id":26622,"date":"2025-11-05T14:48:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T13:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/?p=26622"},"modified":"2026-03-05T14:49:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T13:49:10","slug":"you-only-realize-how-valuable-the-cooperative-is-when-you-go-down-this-path-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/press-and-media\/newsroom\/stories\/you-only-realize-how-valuable-the-cooperative-is-when-you-go-down-this-path-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"“You only realize how valuable the cooperative is when you go down this path yourself.”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The next generation of the R\u00f6ckenschu\u00df family is mastering the balancing act between tradition and modernity. Korbinian R\u00f6ckenschu\u00df reveals why he prefers retail to gastronomy and how he juggles his career and family life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Cooperative<\/h2>
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Munich, an early morning. Anyone who accompanies Korbinian R\u00f6ckenschu\u00df on the way to his REWE-Marktplatz can immediately see what drives him: closeness to the people, love to the city – and the joy of a business that he sees as a stage. A smile flits across his face as he drives past the construction work for the Oktoberfest. I look forward to the Oktoberfest like a little kid every year,<\/q> he says. For him, it was more than just a folk festival\u2014it was a piece of his dreams. Because while his uncle was a restaurateur, Korbinian himself always dreamed of one day being a Oktoberfest host.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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About:<\/h2>

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Roots in Unterbrunn<\/h2>\n

The R\u00f6ckenschuss family comes from Unterbrunn, a small town south of Munich. His great-grandfather ran a general store there, which is now run as a caf\u00e9 by Korbinian’s mother. A black-and-white photo hangs by the escalator in the market: his grandfather as a boy in front of the store. When I walk past it, I see where I come from<\/q>, says R\u00f6ckenschuss. Tradition as a foundation, modernity as a daily task.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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From hotel to business school<\/h2>\n

He was drawn to the hospitality industry at an early age. He trained at the Kempinski, worked as a waiter at the Oktoberfest and realized: this is where life pulsates, where there is a stage and responsibility. But the irregular working hours and the thought of having a family made him rethink. I wanted to create my own life, but I also wanted to be able to plan it.<\/q> So he switched to a business administration degree, which gave him the basics of business administration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through his positions as an area manager at Norma and as a store manager at REWE, he got to know the retail industry from the ground up. The great thing was that I was able to try out a lot and always had people who encouraged me.<\/q> The support from REWE itself was particularly important to him. You only realize how valuable the cooperative is when you go down this path yourself. I learned that you don’t have to do everything on your own – the advice, experience and support from colleagues and area managers were worth of gold.<\/q><\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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You only realize how valuable the cooperative is when you go down this path yourself. I learned that you don’t have to do everything on your own – the advice, experience and support from colleagues and area managers were worth of gold.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/div>\n

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Korbinian R\u00f6ckenschu\u00df<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Korbinian R\u00f6ckenschu\u00df is an independent retailer, not a lone wolf.<\/p>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The leap into self-employment<\/h2>\n

The big step came in 2019: the company’s own REWE in Munich city center. A project close to R\u00f6ckenschu\u00df’s heart – even if the start-up phase was tough. I thought too much about it. It didn’t go so well at the beginning. But at some point I learned to be patient.<\/q><\/span><\/p>\n

Then came corona – and perhaps the most difficult test. While supermarkets in residential areas achieved record sales, his inner-city market with its structure heavily dependent on walk-in customers suffered massively. That was brutal. We didn’t have a neighborhood that filled our store. Our customers are tourists, students, people from the doctors’ surgeries or the surrounding stores next door – and they suddenly stayed away.<\/q> But he persevered, made adjustments and adapted the product range. Today, the market is stable and has earned its place in the city center.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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A market in the heart of the city<\/h2>\n

His REWE is not a typical local supermarket. He lives from walk-in customers, from brief encounters and regular customers who greet him on the street. There are days when I see the same customer ten times. Once he buys a water, then a sandwich, then cigarettes.<\/q><\/p>\n

At lunchtime, it’s a busy time. The customers have salad boxes or baked goods in their hands, the self-service tills are buzzing and the queue is quickly disappearing. R\u00f6ckenschu\u00df smiles: That’s the beauty and the effort – you’re never finished.<\/q> He is constantly adding rows of shelves, looking for more stock, even though there is barely enough space. If I could, I would break through the wall immediately and add 100 square meters.<\/q> Instead, he optimizes in detail, recalculates, adjusts.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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That’s the beauty and the effort – you’re never finished.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/div>\n

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Korbinian R\u00f6ckenschu\u00df<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Korbinian R\u00f6ckenschuss, brief encounters with regular customers.<\/p>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Advice to new retailers<\/h2>\n

When asked what he would like to pass on to young retailers, he answers emphatically: You don’t need to be afraid. Customers, employees, goods – they already know that from their everyday lives. The rest comes naturally. The important thing is not to be too shy to simply ask. If I’m stuck, I call my colleagues – or the area manager. Pragmatism helps more than perfectionism.<\/q> His recipe: composure, patience and networking. We are retailers, not lone wolves. You don’t have to be able to do everything on your own.<\/q><\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Family as an antithesis<\/h2>\n

As much as the market challenges him, his priorities are clear. Work never gets boring, but I also want to remain a family man.<\/q> That’s why he often drives home around 4 p.m., picks up his son Korbinian – the fifth generation to bear his name – from soccer and looks forward to his daughter Johanna, whose name his wife was allowed to choose. I want the children to experience me now. When they’re 14, they might say: Dad, leave me alone anyway.<\/q> His wife supports him with the office work in the background from home. And the first walk in the morning at just after five o’clock still takes him to his mother’s caf\u00e9 – back to his roots.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Looking ahead<\/h2>\n

At 38, he still has a long way to go. Maybe there will be a second market at some point, more rural, with more space. But it has to fit – and make economic sense.<\/q> He still enjoys the city, the challenge, the daily race to find the best solution. And while customers continue to stream through the aisles of the market, the salad bowls clatter and the tills beep, Korbinian R\u00f6ckenschu\u00df seems content. Independent retailer, family man, city dweller – and someone who knows that tradition and the future can come together perfectly in a market.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Read more<\/h2>\n \n <\/div>\n
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    \n \"rewe-group-bilanz-2025\"\n\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n
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    Press release<\/p>\n

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    22 April 2026<\/p>\n

    Despite difficult conditions:
    REWE Group passes\u00a0
    100 billion euro\u00a0revenue mark in 2025\u00a0<\/h3> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/button>\n<\/div>\n <\/li>\n
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    Press release<\/p>\n

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    25 March 2026<\/p>\n

    REWE opens test store with Pick&Go technology in Hanover<\/h3> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/button>\n<\/div>\n <\/li>\n
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    Story<\/p>\n

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    24 March 2026<\/p>\n

    “Counterquestion: Why should a woman hesitate?”<\/h3> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/button>\n<\/div>\n <\/li>\n
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    Press release<\/p>\n

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    24 March 2026<\/p>\n

    Drive-by shopping: REWE now also offers Drive&Go<\/h3> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/button>\n<\/div>\n <\/li>\n
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    Story<\/p>\n

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    16 March 2026<\/p>\n

    “Encourage, support, ask questions”<\/h3> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/button>\n<\/div>\n <\/li>\n
  • \n
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    \n \"Person\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    Press release<\/p>\n

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    12 March 2026<\/p>\n

    REWE and nahkauf customers show their heart<\/h3> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/button>\n<\/div>\n <\/li>\n
  • \n
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    \n \"Portrait\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    Story<\/p>\n

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    11 March 2026<\/p>\n

    “Performance alone is not enough. It needs visibility and networks”<\/h3> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/button>\n<\/div>\n <\/li>\n
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    9 March 2026<\/p>\n

    “Equal opportunities need visibility”<\/h3> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/button>\n<\/div>\n <\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Join the discussion on <\/h2>\n
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    Our LinkedIn feed has all the latest information from the REWE Group and the sector, with the most important developments from the worlds of retail, e-commerce, food, CSR and policy.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

    \n \n To LinkedIn feed <\/a>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

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    <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Independent retailer instead of Oktoberfest host: a portrait of Korbinian R\u00f6ckenschu\u00df<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":25508,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","nl_adhoc_sent":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"sales_line":[15],"focus_theme":[142],"class_list":["post-26622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-company","sales_line-rewe","focus_theme-undefined"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26622"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27899,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26622\/revisions\/27899"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26622"},{"taxonomy":"sales_line","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sales_line?post=26622"},{"taxonomy":"focus_theme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/focus_theme?post=26622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}