Macinform September, 2009

3
Macinform
SEPTEMBER 2009 EDITION
MACINTOSH RETAIL GROUP IN FIRST SIX-MONTH PERIOD 2009
NET PROFIT UP BY € 2.9 MILLION
Successful restyling of Brantano
UK shops
4
Kwantum performs best in Milieudefensie
investigation for the 5th consecutive year
6
Scapino receives first Home Shopping
Guarantee certificate
8
BelCompany wins Graham Telecom
Award 2009
10
Efficient stock system at Halfords
12
Dolcis opens 100th shop
On 27 August 2009 Macintosh Retail Group presented
its figures for the first six months of 2009. During the
presentation of those figures, Frank De Moor (CEO)
announced that the non-food retail sector still had a difficult time in the first 6 months of 2009. “We decided to
mainly focus on gross margin and cost control in that
market. This approach has helped us to keep the result at
an acceptable level and to even realise growth in Automotive & Telecom.” According to our chief executive officer,
another important focus was on working capital management and reduction of the net financial debt. “As a result,
our financial costs substantially decreased and the net
profit of the continuing operations was only € 1.2 million
less than in 2008.” According to De Moor, with the sale of
BelCompany Belgium as per 30 June 2009 Macintosh
Retail Group realised “a good transaction result and
disposed of a loss-making operation”. As a result the 2009
net profit was € 2.9 million higher at € 8.1 million.
Given the great uncertainty about timing and scope of
the economic recovery, the Managing Board does not
express any views on 2009 as a whole. According to De
Moor, it is currently “impossible to predict how the
development of the economy and employment in the
next few months will influence consumer spending in
continued on page 2
3
continued from page 1
the markets that are important for Macintosh Retail Group.
Even though a few positive macroeconomic signals are visible
at the moment, we do not see this reflected in the turnover and
gross margin of Macintosh Retail Group for July and August.
As far as the full year of 2009 is concerned, much will depend
on the developments in the important fourth quarter.”
De Moor remains convinced that the economic crisis will be
over one day and that this is the time to lay the foundations for
maximising the effect of a recovery once it occurs. “As I said
in our ‘New Year’s message’ in the first Macinform of this
year, difficult times prove to be perfectly suitable for changing
matters that were not or hardly dealt with before.” According
to De Moor, in the first 6 months of this year our companies
have worked hard on matters such as the reduction of costs
and the improvement of the working capital position. “This is
expressed in the 2009 half-year report and I call on everyone to
keep showing initiative in the remaining months of the year
and to continue working on a bright future for our joint company.”
Below follows a summary of the most important points in the
press release, which can be read in full on our website www.
macintosh.nl.
The highlights for 2009
• Turnover for Macintosh Retail Group (excluding exchange
effects) remained on a par in a highly pressurised non-food
retail market (- 7.1%).
• Strong focus on gross margin, costs and working capital.
• Operating result from continuing operations: € 12.2 million
(2008: € 16.7 million).
• Net debt position improved compared to June 2008 with
approximately € 100 million (- 35%).
• Net profit on continuing operations down € 1.2 million to
€ 6.1 million.
• Total net profit up € 2.9 million thanks to sale of BelCompany Belgium.
In Belgium, Kwantum realised a higher turnover. The French
GP Décors faced a decrease in turnover, especially because
of the 6 shops that were closed as a part of the execution of the recovery plan.
The € 15.7 million decrease in turnover in the
sector Fashion was partly - € 8.8 million - the
result of the lower exchange rate of the pound
sterling. The turnovers for Brantano in
Belgium/Luxembourg, Scapino in the
Netherlands/Belgium, and Nea International
were on a par with 2008, while those for
Brantano UK and Hoogenbosch lagged
behind those of 2008.
Turnover in the sector Automotive
& Telecom rose by € 12.8 million
thanks to an increase at BelCompany
Netherlands, which, compared to
June 2008, opened 35 new shops (33
of which were Telefoonkopen.nl
shops, in July 2008). Despite an
increased turnover in bicycles, the
turnover for Halfords in the Netherlands
and Belgium dropped, because once
again, the navigation market decreased
substantially in value.
Operating result
2
Ultimo
H1 2009
Living
147
153
150
Fashion
738
738
738
Automotive
& Telecom1
334
380
375
1,219
1,271
1,263
Total
1
Excluding the BelCompany Belgium operations (70 shops), which were
sold as per 30 June 2009.
Turnover development
H1 2009
H1 2008
% +/-
Living
127.6
132.7
- 3.8%
Fashion
273.0
288.7
- 5.4%1
Automotive
& Telecom2
135.9
123.1
+ 10.4%
Total
536.6
544.5
- 1.4%
in € mln
1
2
Excluding exchange effect: decrease in turnover Fashion by 2.5%.
Excluding the BelCompany Belgium operations, which were sold as per
30 June 2009 (turnover: € 17.0 million; 2008: € 17.8 million).
Although Kwantum once again out-performed the general
home-decoration market, the organisation had to sacrifice
turnover compared to an excellent first half of 2008.
2
Living
4.6
9.2
Fashion
3.0
4.0
Automotive & Telecom1
8.0
5.7
- 3.4
- 2.2
12.2
16.7
Total
1
Ultimo
2008
H1 2008
Other
Increase of number of shops by 44, to 1263
Ultimo
H1 2008
H1 2009
in € mln
2
Excluding the BelCompany Belgium operations, which were sold as per
30 June 2009.
‘Other’ includes all costs that are not directly attributable to the
sectors.
Together with a substantial pressure on margins, the decrease
in turnover for the sector Living has led to a halving of the
excellent operating profit in that sector. After a series of record
years, Kwantum was facing a considerable setback as a result
of the poor market situation. The operating result of GP
Décors increased slightly compared to the first half of 2008,
thanks to the execution of a recovery plan that was drawn up
early 2009.
On balance, the operating result of the sector Fashion turned
out € 1.0 million lower than in 2008, which was partly caused
by autonomous cost increases as a result of
the increase in wages according to collective
bargaining agreements in the Netherlands
(+ 4%) and the legal wage indexing in
Belgium (+ 6%). Shoe discounter Scapino
proved popular with consumers and realised
a turnover comparable to the one in 2008
and a higher operating result. Brantano’s
family shops, which operate in the mid shoemarket segments, also realised a higher
operating result, particularly thanks to cost
savings in Belgium/Luxembourg and the
United Kingdom. The Hoogenbosch shops
operate in the market segment with the
highest action pressures. Hoogenbosch’
decreased operating result, which directly
resulted from these, more than offset the
rise at the other shoe formulas.
Continuing operations in the sector
Automotive & Telecom realised a € 2.3 million higher operating
result, thanks to BelCompany Netherlands, which, despite the
expansion costs, realised a substantial increase. With Halfords,
the positive developments in bicycle sales were negated by the
price pressure in the navigation market, resulting in an overall
operating result that was slightly lower than in the first 6
months of 2008.
Net profit € 2.9 million higher than in 2008
Lower financial costs and taxes in 2009 partly compensated for
the reduction in operating result of the continuing operations,
resulting in a net profit of continuing operations of € 6.1 million
(2008: € 7.3 million).
The BelCompany Belgium operations, with the exception of
15 Discovery Stores, were sold to Telenet as per 30 June
2009. Where, in the first half of 2008, a net loss of - € 2.1
million was suffered, a net profit (including transaction
profit) of € 2.0 million was realised by BelCompany
Belgium in 2009.
As a result of the effects listed above, the total net profit for
the first six months of 2009 increased to an overall amount of
€ 8.1 million, compared to € 5.2 million in 2008.
The development of the net profit was as follows:
H1 2009
H1 2008
Net profit on continuing
operations
6.1
7.3
Net profit on discontinued
operations1
2.0
- 2.1
Net profit total
8.1
5.2
in € mln
1
Concerns the BelCompany Belgium operations, which were sold as per
30 June 2009
AFTER
SUCCESSFUL RESTYLING
NEW LOOK FOR
BEFORE
BRANTANO UK STORES!
According to Brantano UK, shoe shopping should be easy and most of
all, fun. With more than 12,000 pairs of shoes for the whole family in
every Brantano store, a clear and logical store layout is more than a
necessity. On top of that popular and well-known shoe brands and
models need to be displayed accordingly. These are the ideas that led
to Brantano’s new contemporary look…
New décor in ten stores
Ten Brantano stores, three existing and seven new locations have
been decorated in the new style with light wooden laminated floors,
black and white graphics and point-of-sale items, as well as brightly
lit features. The new look gives the Brantano stores a fresh and upto-date feeling. Regular and new customers have been pleasantly
surprised by the transformation. The results prove that Brantano’s
assertion that “buying shoes should be easy and fun” hasn’t been
comprised at all, only strengthened.
Positive response
Karen Staton, Operations Director Brantano UK proudly says,
“These new contemporary stores have had nothing but positive
feedback from all stakeholders including customers, staff and suppliers. They look fabulous, help to clarify our brand offering and
showcase our great range of product throughout the entire store,
encouraging the whole family to walk away with a pair of shoes or
two.”
With the knowledge that customers appreciate the changes, Brantano
UK is facing the future with confidence.
3
CRITICAL INVESTIGATION OF MILIEUDEFENSIE
KWANTUM WINS
AGAIN
For the fifth consecutive time, Kwantum scored best in the
investigation carried out by Milieudefensie (Friends of the
Earth Netherlands) into the use of FSC certified hardwood
in garden furniture. This shows once again that sustainability is worthwhile...
A close look
Milieudefensie investigates the garden furniture sector
with the aim of spreading a clear message to consumers:
‘choose wood that was logged in a legal and sustainable
manner’.
Milieudefensie inspected the range of hardwood garden
furniture offered by ten different chains of shops. Gamma,
Groenrijk, Hema, Ikea, Intratuin, Kwantum, Leen Bakker,
Life & Garden, Praxis and Tuincentrum Overvecht were subjected to a critical inspection. This investigation accurately listed
the proportion of ‘fair wood’ and incorrect environmental claims.
And since all hardwood garden furniture purchased by Kwantum for
the 2009 season is 100% FSC certified, Kwantum again turned out to be
the winner!
A performance that Kwantum can be proud of and that confirms to
customers that Kwantum only uses ‘fair’ wood for its garden furniture.
Kwantum wants to make sure that 100% FSC certified garden furniture will be the only type to be included in its range from now on.
Reward
In order to stress this festive event even more, Milieudefensie rewarded Kwantum with
a delicious cake. Sustainability is worthwhile...
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is an international organisation that encourages responsible forest management.
FSC draws up worldwide standards for forest management linked to a quality mark.
SCAPINO INCREASES COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES
FREE SHOPPING WITH
YOUR ROCKS’ FIVERS
Scapino entered into a collaboration with Rocks’, the points
programme of supermarket Super de Boer and Texaco petrol
stations. From now on, customers can also spend their Rocks’
Fivers on the complete range of Scapino, including on discounted
articles. In addition, there will regularly be attractive offers for
Rocks’ savers.
The collaboration allows Scapino to expand its communications network, create more shop preference and encourage a
higher visiting frequency. This will undoubtedly have a positive effect on consumer spending patterns at Scapino.
In short: more opportunities with Rocks’...
4
SCAPINO NOW ALSO AVAILABLE FROM WEHKAMP.NL
Recently, Scapino entered into a strategic alliance with
wehkamp.nl. This alliance involves an expansion of the
wehkamp.nl range of shoes, sports shoes, and sports
clothes to include the Scapino collections. The retailer has
found wehkamp.nl to be a professional partner with an
optimum logistic infrastructure, a large online expertise,
and a top location on the web, drawing 5 million visitors
per month.
Earlier, wehkamp.nl entered into another successful
strategic alliance, with Dolcis. Experience shows that
this particular type of collaboration does not have any
negative effect upon the regular sales in the shops. The
alliance partners address another, new target group on
the web: the consumer who uses the internet to make
convenient on-line purchases.
NEW GENERAL MANAGER OF HOOGENBOSCH RETAIL GROUP:
“WE NEED TO DISTINGUISH OURSELVES WITH
OUR PEOPLE AND PRODUCTS”
The person who since May of this year may call himself general manager
of Hoogenbosch Retail Group (Dolcis, Invito, Manfield and PRO sport)
is no stranger. Henk Sieders (42) has been in the shoe business for 21
years. It is not exactly the easiest time to be in charge of general affairs,
but he says that it makes things even more worthwhile. “If you want to
survive in this market today, you need to stand out. That demands creativity in the broadest sense. In dealing with communication, our people and
our customers. A lot of credit can be gained by it.”
Visual merchandising
In the late eighties of the previous century Henk Sieders started out as
store manager trainee in the Manfield branch in the Kalverstraat in
Amsterdam. Subsequently, until the mid-nineties he was manager of
various shops with this formula. When the phenomenon of visual merchandising came to the Netherlands from England and America, Henk
was allowed to apply this on a project basis within Manfield. “This
meant that we started paying much more attention to the shop presentations of all articles in order to create an atmosphere that promotes sales.
Because of the success of this approach, the other formulas of Hoogenbosch also introduced visual merchandising.” As marketing manager he
then became responsible for giving Manfield a more contemporary
look. In 2004, Henk Sieders became division manager for Dolcis as well.
Because of the further development of synergy within Hoogenbosch
Retail Group, he became in charge of the sale of four formulas together
with a colleague of the purchase department.
Pre-season planning
The new general manager who is succeeding Eric Coorens has no lack
of plans. “This is not the time to throw in the towel. Now is the time to
attract consumers and serve them well. In my opinion, we can do so by
making both the collection and the communication more dynamic. At
Manfield and Invito we have already started with a test for so-called
pre-season planning of the collection. This means that the entire collection of last season is analysed at article level. The analyses and conclusions are presented and substantiated to management and the board.
That results in a vision that ensures a well-founded and more distinctive
composition of next season’s collection. The current vision is that we
need to stand out on the high street through creativity and dynamics in
the collection and in the shop windows. We need to incite people to walk
into our shops. This vision is shared on a broad scale and later this year
the formulas of Dolcis and PRO sport will also implement it.”
Replacement purchases
According to the new general manager, another opportunity for Hoogenbosch Retail Group is the encouragement of replacement purchases
for shoes. “We currently change the shop image twice a year on average.
That should be four times a year. This causes a lot more dynamics and
this constant change incites consumers to replace items more quickly. It
is a matter of tightening up the pre-season planning and establishing
closer relations with our suppliers, because they too need to operate
faster and give us priority. That should work, especially once the winwin effect becomes clear. As far as that is concerned, with all shoe formulas of Macintosh Retail Group we are clearly trying to move towards
the suppliers.” Henk Sieders realises that this also has consequences for
the way of working within his own organisation: Not just our products,
but our people as well are important for the success. That is why we are
going to promote advancement. Branch employees with ambition who
want to grow will get educational opportunities at HBO level in order
to develop themselves for middle management positions. That means
that in future we will not always need to recruit external persons and
therefore we can draw more from our own strength. We also want our
product managers to free up time spent on their ancillary activities so
that they can fully focus on shoes and see more of what the competition
is doing by visiting more cities and our own branches. In addition, in
Europe and beyond if necessary they must gain ideas and visit our most
important suppliers more often.
Communication
Communication will change as well. Henk Sieders: “More needs to be
done than just hanging up a poster in shop windows. Away with the
sameness of shop windows at A1 locations! We can do so by thinking
ahead about themes within the scope of pre-season planning, which
must give each formula more depth. And we will communicate that
directly to our customers. After all: they are the ones we are doing it for.
By way of trial, this month we are sending Dolcis advertising brochures
to 2.5 million households. Not with a campaign, but with an impression
of the collection, with the heading: surprising and affordable! In addition, we are seeing an explosive increase in internet sales. Our webshops
will be made even more professional and will be used even more in the
communication mix.” Finally, the new first man even sees opportunities
for new future formulas. As you can see, there is a lot of work to be done
at Hoogenbosch Retail Group.”
Working together
Sieders also sees many positive elements in the mutual collaboration
with the other shoe formulas of Macintosh Retail Group, i.e. Brantano
and Scapino. “Together we are one of the largest shoe retailers in
Europe and naturally we need to take advantage of this. There are a few
very promising ongoing projects and Hoogenbosch will profit from this
as well.”
5
RELIABLE AND SAFE ONLINE SHOPPING
SCAPINO RECEIVES FIRST HOME SHOPPING
GUARANTEE CERTIFICATE!
In the past spring, Scapino received its first Home Shopping
Guarantee certificate. The certificate is presented to webshops
that meet a strict list of requirements in the area of laws and
regulations and the new general terms and conditions drawn up
by Thuiswinkel.org and the Dutch Consumers’ Organisation
Consumentenbond. Of the more than 1000 webshops affiliated
with the Dutch Home Shopping Association, Scapino is among
the first ten webshops to receive the new certificate.
Vision
The certificate was presented for the first time this year and the
Scapino webshop is one of the first to have shown that it acts
according to the conditions.
“Consumers who do business with certified companies can
trust that these organisations have been checked extensively,
both in terms of accounts and in practice,” says Ed Nijpels,
chairman of Thuiswinkel.org, who presented the certificate.
The Scapino website and webshop went live in 2005 already.
It proves that Scapino had a good vision back then. After
all, laws and regulations drawn up recently show that in 2005
the webshop already almost fully met the newly drawn up
guidelines in the area of privacy, repayment, duty to disclose
information, etc. A comforting thought for customers and a
big compliment to Scapino.
Certainty
In order to effect certification, Thuiswinkel.org set up the independent Home Shopping Guarantee Certification Foundation. This foundation checks whether the Home Shopping
Guarantee Rules of Conduct and the Home Shopping General
Terms and Conditions are also complied with in the webshop
and presents the certificates.
This entails a few additional certainties for customers of certified webshops:
6
CERTIFICAAT
THUISWINKEL WAARBORG
De Nederlandse Thuiswinkel Organisatie, kortweg Thuiswinkel.org,
verklaart dat haar lid:
thuiswinkel
waarborg
certificaat
On the photograph from left to right: Ed Nijpels, Guido Heeringa from
Scapino and Wijnand Jongen, director Thuiswinkel.org
gerechtigd is het Certificaat Thuiswinkel Waarborg te voeren tot 21 april 2010
Datum van afgifte: 21 april 2009
Dit betekent dat Scapino is gecertificeerd door de Stichting Certificering Thuiswinkel Waarborg
en dat haar huidige werkwijze en gehanteerde voorwaarden jaarlijks gecontroleerd zijn op conformiteit
met relevante wet- en regelgeving en de Gedragsregels Thuiswinkel Waarborg van Thuiswinkel.org.
Scapino biedt de consument daarmee een betrouwbare en veilige manier van
online winkelen. Deze certificering biedt u als consument o.a. de volgende 6 zekerheden:
1. Weten met wie u zaken doet en hoe u het bedrijf gemakkelijk kunt benaderen
U doet zaken met:
Scapino
Vestigingsadres:
Industrieweg 28
9403 AB Assen
Telefoonnummer:
Faxnummer:
E-mail adres:
Webadres:
0592-340042
0592-344904
[email protected]
www.scapino.nl
KvK-nummer:
BTW-nummer:
Lid sinds:
04022781
NL003531302B01
9-9-2005
Postadres:
Postbus 250
9400 AG Assen
2. Algemene voorwaarden overeengekomen met de Consumentenbond
3. Veiligheid en privacy
4. Extra bedenktijd: 14 dagen
5. Veilig betalen
6. Onafhankelijke klachtenbemiddeling
Thuiswinkel.org staat garant voor de nakoming van de uitspraken van de Geschillencommissie
Thuiswinkel. Deze garantie geldt niet in geval van surseance van betaling of faillissement van
het bedrijf; Thuiswinkel Waarborg is geen garantiefonds.
Thuiswinkel.org is de belangenvereniging die belangen van bedrijven behartigt op het gebied van
thuiswinkelen. Bij thuiswinkelen gaat het om het verkopen van producten en/of diensten aan
consumenten via internet, catalogi, post en dergelijke.
Nederlandse Thuiswinkel Organisatie
Horaplantsoen 20 6717 LT Ede
Postbus 7001 6710 CB Ede
Tel: 0318 64 85 75
Fax: 0318 64 85 76
1. you know who you are doing business with and how to
approach them
2. the general terms and conditions were agreed on with the
Consumentenbond
3. security and privacy are guaranteed
4. you have an additional 14-day reflection period
5. payment is always secure
6. complaints mediation is independent.
According to Ed Nijpels, certification will help web retailers
to obtain a better status in the retail business. A status that
Scapino now has as well...
EXTRA HALFORDS EVENTS
Practice makes perfect
‘Practice makes perfect’ is
the motto at Halfords. Every
campaign or event is carefully prepared and tested
regionally. This regional
testing enables Halfords to
make national campaigns
more attractive. The analyses and scenarios that result
from this are the basis for
Halfords’ successful commercial campaigns.
BICYCLES IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Whether you are looking for bicycles, bicycle accessories, technical
parts or bicycle repair: Halfords is the place to go. Halfords is the
biggest retailer in bicycles and bicycle accessories in the Netherlands
and in order to emphasise this even more, Halfords is launching a large
number of ‘bicycle events’.
Campaigns
Since the spring, numerous Halfords campaigns focus on bicycles.
As announced in the last Macinform, Halfords has introduced the
QuickFix bicycle repair service. In addition, in the spring customers
could already profit from additional discounts during the Halfords
‘Maytime is Bicycle time’ campaign. Furthermore, Halfords organised special demo days for the Union Switch electric bicycle.
In the summer, Halfords offered every second bicycle sold for half
price and every ‘omafiets’ (upright) bicycle for only EUR 150. There
was a Union bicycle trade-in offer and customers could take advantage of an additional 20% discount: the more products they bought,
the higher the discount on bicycles and other items. And there is
more to follow...
Planned
A lot more is planned for the rest of the year. On 7 September, a
large ‘Bike Sale’ starts in the form of tax-free shopping and on 16
September Halfords will have a stand with electric bicycles at the
50+ trade fair in Utrecht. Starting on Monday 28 September, customers can also make the most of an attractive discount on various
products of their choice.
There is a lot more to take place in the area of bicycles, so keep an
eye on Halfords.
www.halfords.nl
INVITO CHALLENGES COOL GUYS AND FASHIONABLE GIRLS IN ONLINE MODEL CONTEST.
BE OUR STAR…
Invito, the trendy shop that always has the very
latest shoe and bag collections, is looking for
models for its in-store poster campaign for the
spring of 2010. Not professional models, but
enthusiastic ‘Invito fans’. They are invited to
upload their most fashionable photograph on
www.beourstar.nl before 20 September 2009.
During the campaign there will also be recruitment days in among others Utrecht andArnhem.
Go to beourstar.nl for more information and be
there!
professional jury then selects 3 guys and 3 girls.
International former top model Kim Vos will give
them a professional catwalk workshop, after which
they star in a real fashion photo shoot. Eventually,
one male and one female ‘Invito Star’ will be
selected on the basis of the above.
And the winner wins…
The winners are the star players in the next Invito
photo shoot and they will be ‘the face’ of Invito in
the spring of 2010. The winners will also star in a
special photo report in Blend magazine! In addition, every winner wins an all-inclusive winter
sports trip with 3 of his or her best friends from
SPORTURA and they are also in the race to win
an international modelling contract with Ulla
Models!
WORd jij
HéT gEziCHT
vAN iNviTO?
CHECK
BEOURSTAR.NL
Taste
To show contestants what it means exactly to be
an Invito model, they can watch a clip of the
autumn/winter photo shoot on www.invito.com
under ‘BEHIND THE SCENES’. An interesting look behind the scenes and maybe even a
taste of what is coming.....
You can find more information
about this inspiring campaign on:
Casting day...
www.beourstar.nl
Everyone can vote for his or her favourite model www.invito.com
on www.beourstar.nl. The 50 contestants with www.ullamodels.com
the most votes are then invited by Invito and the www.sportura.nl
famous modelling agency Ulla Models to attend www.blend.nl
a casting day. From these 50 contestants, a www.bdifferent.org
7
BelCompany was recently given the award
for Best Telecom Retailer in the ‘Staff’
category during the 2009 Graham Telecom Awards. The award was presented
during the annual Telecom Gala in
Bussum. The entire top of the Dutch telecom sector was represented at this gala,
which was organised by the telecom trade
journal Connexie.
BELCOMPANY WINS
GRAHAM TELECOM
AWARD 2009
STAFF
BELCOMPANY
THE BEST IN THE NETHERLANDS
Appreciation
‘Mystery shoppers’ carried out the assessment and public opinion
was also taken into account. By means of an internet poll, the
readers of Connexie, De Telegraaf, Sp!ts and Sanoma Men’s
Magazines were asked about their appreciation for BelCompany
employees.
Not for nothing
Paul Vreeburg, general manager of BelCompany, is happy with the
Graham Telecom Award: “It turns out that investing in our staff
has paid off. At the BelCompany School, employees are educated
and trained in various fields. This is not merely focused on product
knowledge but also on customer-friendliness and service orientation. Employees learn to inform consumers properly and to analyse the type of subscription that best suits the customer’s telephone
needs. After all, you can save a lot of money on telephone costs by
taking out the right subscription. The BelCompany employees provide this ‘tailor-made service’. The fact that this customer orientation has now been awarded a prize is an encouragement for our
entire organisation and obliges us to do our utmost to continue
serving consumers in the future as the number 1 provider”.
MANFIELD DESIGN TEAM DESIGNS STYLISH PUMP FOR CHARITY
MANFIELD PUMP FOR PINK RIBBON
In the month of October, the Pink Ribbon Foundation is raising extra awareness for breast
cancer. Manfield supports the foundation with shop campaigns and the sale of a peep toe
pump that was designed exclusively for Pink Ribbon.
Collector’s item
If you want to get hold of a pair of ‘Manfield for Pink Ribbon’ pumps, run to one of
the 69 Manfield shops on 5 October, because the pump is a limited edition and is only
sold once. Because of the limited availability, the pump will be a true must have and is
expected to be worn on the red carpet by famous Dutch stars.
The full proceeds of the pump go to the Pink Ribbon Foundation.
On to 25,000 euros
In the month of October, all 69 shops will focus on Pink Ribbon. In addition to the
proceeds of the pumps, for every pair of shoes that is sold, 1 euro will be set aside for
Pink Ribbon until an amount of 25,000 euros has been reached. Through these campaigns, Manfield raises breast cancer awareness among its customers and supports the Pink
Ribbon Foundation in the realisation of its objectives: reducing the number of people who get breast
cancer, stimulating early diagnosis and improving the care for breast cancer patients and their surroundings.
For more information: www.manfield.com
8
SPECIAL HALFORDS UNION BICYCLE FOR TNT
POST DELIVERED SAFELY
The successful collaboration between Nationale
Postcode Loterij, Halfords and Union was the reason why TNT asked Halfords and Union to develop
a special bicycle for all members of the TNT staff
association. A fun challenge with a fun result....
Customisation
TNT’s staff association has more than 90,000 members, both employees and former employees. The Union X-pression was developed
especially for this group. This robust bicycle is furnished with a
number of specific details and features that make the bicycle very
suitable for heavy delivery work. But the bicycle is also very suitable
for private use, such as grocery shopping and bringing the kids to
school with.
For less than 50 euros extra a TNT former or current employee can
purchase a sturdy ‘bruiser package’ containing an extra sturdy stand
and stainless steel rims.
Of course, the standard service and warranty of Halfords, such as a
10-year warranty for the frame and the fork, apply. The bicycle is
made in running order free of charge and receives a free service in the
Halfords workplace.
The very best
The X-pression is made up of high-quality parts, such as an ingenious
handlebar stabiliser, an extra sturdy luggage carrier and puncture
proof tyres. The bicycle is available in 3 types; the basic model is
available from EUR 299.
The members of the TNT staff association can collect their bicycles
at a Halfords branch of their choice in September.
With this collaboration, Halfords and Union once again show the
power of partnership. And who knows what will follow next......
KWANTUM INTRODUCES AFFORDABLE 17-PIECE BLITSDESIGN SERVICE
“I WANT THE ONE WITH THE EGG”
For years, designer Ed Annink of Ontwerpwerk has dedicated
himself to familiarising a broad public with the work of graphic designer Gerd Arntz. His service “I want the one with the
egg” is new. A 17-piece white service with silver-coloured illustrations by Arntz. The Dutch brand Blitsdesign, a Kwantum
initiative, is marketing the product. Because of its affordable
prices, this label makes design affordable for everyone and
therefore fits in perfectly with Annink’s objective.
International visual language
In the twenties of the last century, the German graphic artist
Gerd Arntz (1900-1988) and the Austrian sociologist Otto
Neurath (1882-1945) developed an international visual language to make statistic information comprehensible to a
broad public. Through the years, Arntz drew more than 4000
pictograms for this purpose. The originals are in the possession of the Municipal Museum in The Hague. Last year, Ed
Annink set up the website www.gerdarntz.org and used it to
make the work of Arntz visible to everyone. The pictograms
from the Municipal Museum in The Hague were digitalised
for this purpose.
80 years of being up to date
Some of the pictograms of Gerd Arntz are more than eighty
years old, but they have not lost their power. Depicted on the
service, they can inspire conversations or thoughts. They
each inspire their own story. The clock on the inside of the
espresso cup says something about the time when we drink
coffee. The pictograms also provide recognisability. Each
plate can be combined with a dish containing the same pictogram. Annink has given the service simple shapes in order to
focus all attention on Arntz’s pictograms.
Exclusive
The service “I want the one with the egg” forms part of the
Blitsdesign label and is exclusively available from Kwantum
and the Graphic Design Museum in Breda.
9
BETTER GOODS FLOW CONTROL AT HALFORDS
MORE TIME FOR
CUSTOMERS!
In the past years, Halfords worked very hard to realise a more efficient control of the flow
of goods. The objective was to increase the availability of goods on the shelves on the one
hand and to reduce the stock in the internal chain on the other hand. Seemingly two
incompatible objectives, but Halfords has nevertheless succeeded in realising these by
introducing an efficient stock system named SLIM4 and a new order picking method.
Another advantage of the more efficient working method is that employees in the shops
have more time to speak to customers and to give them advice. This because the new
system has considerably reduced the administrative duties in the area of ordering and
receiving goods.
One million
The choice for specialist and revolutionary software solutions has
further optimised Halfords’ back office activities and has resulted in
a better shop supply. The work that goes into placing orders by the
shop has been taken over by a centrally controlled system. Every
night, approximately one million article/shop combinations are
assessed in order to calculate the optimum stock need for each article
and each shop. This results in a better balanced stock for shops,
which means better availability on the shelves for customers by
means of a calculation tailored to each individual shop. At the same
time, the stock has decreased in both the
distribution centre and the shops.
Voice picking
In addition to the more efficient stock system, a new system for order
picking has been put into use in the warehouse: voice picking. This
entails that employees receive spoken instructions through a headset
with microphone to confirm the picked articles. This results in a
higher picking speed, more concentration, better ergonomics and –
very important – a clearly higher quality of delivery. As a result, part
of the entrance control in the shops has been dispensed with so that
shop employees can pay more attention to their most important job
again, which is advising and selling.
SPECIAL SURPRISES AT BRANTANO BELGIUM
SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR
THE KIDS
In addition to thousands of pairs of shoes,
in the spring of this year Brantano Belgium
also delighted customers with thousands of
tapas cookbooks and lanyards. A successful
campaign that demands a follow-up....
Especially for Brantano
The tapas cookbook that was developed
especially for Brantano was given away
with the purchase of women’s shoes. Children received a handy lanyard with the purchase of a pair of children’s shoes.
The campaign was announced through TV
commercials and immediately resulted in a
good response.
Back to School
At the end of August, Brantano will start with a new campaign entitled ‘Back to School’.
Children receive a fun frog storage bag with the purchase of children’s shoes worth EUR
40 or more. This handy storage bag deserves a spot in every child’s room in Belgium....
10
MACINTOSH RETAIL GROUP LAYS DOWN THE RULES OF THE GAME AGAIN
SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN RETAIL
Macintosh Retail Group is active in a number of Western European countries with several well-known shop
formulas and about 1300 shops. We welcome thousands of customers every day. We purchase our products all over the world, which means that we deal with
a multitude of suppliers, agencies, interest groups
and governments. Because of that jumble of contacts, it is important that all 13,000 employees
observe the same rules. The Board of Directors
recently redetermined those rules of the game.
“In 2000, we started laying down the standards
and values that we think are important in order to
function properly as a company”, says Pat Hünen,
Company Secretary. “Back then, we were one of the
first Dutch companies that had its own Code of Conduct”. The concept of socially responsible business
practices seems to be in fashion these days, but according to Hünen, Macintosh Retail Group has consciously
implemented this concept since the start of this century.
“Of course, our main interest is in a healthy return and
good results. At the same time, for years we have tried
to combine good entrepreneurship with socially acceptable behaviour. This means that we are making demands
on our suppliers so that we can influence the manner in
which our products are manufactured and end up in our
shops.” Macintosh Retail Group is also active in numerous other areas, such as energy saving, the reduction of
paper and packaging waste and organising logistics as
efficiently as possible. Mid-2008, a CSR (corporate
social responsibility) coordinator was employed to deal
with those matters. “We are convinced that consumers
appreciate that more and more, which is visible in
turnover and results”.
The Code of Conduct that dated from 2000 was recently adjusted to modern requirements and wishes. The
new Code, entitled ‘sustainable growth in retail’,
describes what Macintosh Retail Group wishes to take
into account in its business operations. Hünen says that
no matter how high the social ambitions of a company
are, it is impossible to realise these without the efforts of
all employees. “They are the embodiment of the company to the outside world and must earn the trust of our
surroundings by acting professionally and honestly. That
is why we have added a separate paragraph to the Code
of Conduct containing the core values that every employee is expected to identify with. The starting point is
doing business with respect for each other and the world
around us.”
The booklet ‘Rules of the Game’ that was provided to
employees summarises a number of important items
from the Code of Conduct. The complete Code is available to all employees and can be obtained from the
Human Resources department. According to Hünen, it is
easy enough to write down some nice words. “But what
it comes down to of course is putting those words into
practice. Macintosh Retail Group will monitor this so
that together we can look forward to a successful and
sustainable future.”
TELEFOONKOPEN.NL
CELEBRATES ITS FIRST
ANNIVERSARY
The newest retail chain of Macintosh Retail Group,
telefoonkopen.nl, is celebrating its first anniversary.
Since the opening of 30 shops in July 2008, more and
more consumers are finding their way to the shops and
the website of telefoonkopen.nl. Telefoonkopen.nl is also
a valuable partner to suppliers. A good example of this is
the popular iPhone 3Gs that was recently launched and is
now also available from telefoonkopen.nl.
Telefoonkopen.nl combines a professional webshop
with a national network of physical shops. You can
find the most attractive mobile telephone offers on
www.telefoonkopen.nl. You can also go directly to
the shops that function as a regional office for the
website. The shops also sell internet connections and
TV subscriptions.
11
11
BELCOMPANY: THE ALL-ROUNDER
MOBILE INTERNET ON THE RISE
Research shows that mobile internet will surpass the regular
internet in the next 10 years and will even replace it to a large
extent. Many social networking sites such as Facebook encourage the use of mobile internet. Of course, the main advantage of
mobile internet is the fact that you can go online whenever and
wherever with your laptop: on the train, at an outdoor cafe, in
your garden or in your favourite bar.
Unable to see the wood for the trees
Mobile internet is on the rise, the market is growing and
the range of products and options is also steadily increasing.
Consumers can hardly keep up with developments and are
increasingly ‘unable to see the wood for the trees’.
For them, making the right choices requires independent
advice and know-how. BelCompany, the specialist in mobile
communication, explicitly comes into play to offer this
advice.
Wider range
Mobile internet is becoming an increasingly larger
and more important segment in mobile communication. That is why in a short period of time, BelCompany has drastically increased the range of
laptops with mobile internet, which means that customers can now make a conscious choice between
subscriptions of all available providers.
The advantages of mobile internet were communicated clearly in a special consumer campaign, which
also contained numerous attractive offers. In a period
of three weeks, more than 145 branches were
equipped with a special ‘laptop stand’ were customers can experience for themselves the advantages of
mobile internet and the various handy laptops. In
view of the responses and the results, this approach
turned out to be very successful. The first step to
further growth has been taken ...
SPECIAL GIVEAWAY AND NEW SLOGAN
DOLCIS CELEBRATES OPENING OF 100TH SHOP
The opening of the new Dolcis shop in Maastricht means that the
biggest Hoogenbosch Retail Group formula has reached the
magical number of 100 shops. In addition to the Dolcis webshop
where customers can see and buy the full collection online, they
can now also go to one of the 99 Dolcis branches across the
Netherlands.
Surprising & affordable
Together with the celebration of the opening of the 100th shop,
Dolcis is also presenting a new slogan: ‘Surprising & affordable’. With its latest autumn collection, the retail chain proves
that fashion according to the latest trends can also be very
affordable. Whether you are looking for elegance, professionalism, comfort or casual: Dolcis always has a surprising and
affordable collection of boots, shoes, sneakers, sandals, slippers and bags for adults, teenagers and children.
Giveaway: every 100th customer receives his money back
In the months of August and September, customers of all 100
Dolcis branches can enter the receipt number of their purchase
on www.dolcis.nl. Every 100th customer wins back his or her
purchase amount! You can find more information about the
giveaway on dolcis.nl.
12
COLOFON:
Editor:
Postal address:
Production:
Printing:
Mr. P.T.A. Hünen
Macintosh Retail Group
P.O. Box 5770, 6202 MH Maastricht
The Netherlands
Caris & Sak, Heerlen
Drukkerij Schrijen-Lippertz
Should different interpretations arise between the Dutch and the English language version
of this Macinform, the Dutch language version prevails.