The current head of high street chemists chain Etos is moving over to the Hema group as chief executive, the company confirmed on Tuesday.

Saskia Egas Reparaz will take over from Tjeerd Jegen at a date yet to be decided, the company said. Egas Reparaz, the first female CEO in Hema’s history, makes the move after a 20 year career with the Ahold group.

The changes at the top come as Hema’s new owners, investment house Parcom and the Jumbo family Van Eerd, begin to make their presence felt. In particular, they are known to want Hema to focus on expanding into the rest of the Benelux countries and France, the Financieele Dagblad reported.

The Dutch financial authority AFM has now approved the takeover by the Van Eerds and Parcon, and clearance from Brussels is expected shortly.

The new owners will give Hema ‘stability and space for a healthy future and a new phase of strategic growth,’ the company said in the statement.

Hema has been lumbered with huge debts for years by a variety of different private equity investors and the coronavirus crisis only made things worse. The company has been loss making since 2013.