Greatest moments of Marketplace in Trnava, Slovakia 10th & 11th May 2023
Hope to see you all again in 2 years!
Video production by Adam´s Video, Slovakia
Author: till
New leadership team of the cooperation partner Centro Distribuzione Utensili (CDU) visits Wuppertal
At the end of May, the initial visit of the new head of the leading purchasing and marketing organisation CDU (Centro Distribuzione Utensili) based in Caponago, Milan took place on the occasion of a management meeting with EDE International in Wuppertal.
Andrea Naggi (new Managing Director of Centro Distribuzione Utensili Srl) and Marco Mattanza, new Coordinator for the Consorzio Distributori Utensili came to the cooperation partner EDE International with other members of the group to talk about the continuous expansion of the successful cooperation on the Italian market that has been going on for decades.
The Italian cooperation partner was founded in 1992 and has since grown to 25 members with 36 sales locations throughout Italy. Last year, a record result of € 220 million was generated for the first time. For years, CDU has established itself as the most important group in Italy with a focus on cutting tools and other assortments for professional customers in industry and trade. In addition to a wide range of services for its independent professional members it offers well-known original brands, its own private labels (e.g. TKN) and has been very successful in distributing the E/D/E private label FORMAT for decades.
The whole team of EDE International wishes Andrea Naggi and Marco Mattanza a wonderful take-off into their new professional challenge within CDU and very much look forward to developing interesting new projects together with them.
“Grazie per la visita e benvenuti nella famiglia EDE!”
Successful FORMATplus Marketplace in Trnava (Slovakia)
With 31 booths and over 220 participants, the second marketplace of the FORMATplus Group in the Czech Republic and Slovakia took place in mid-May and was used for intensive personal expert discussions.
Visitors from the Czech Republic and Slovakia were able to find out about trends and new products at 28 supplier stands as well as from the E/D/E private labels FORMAT, FORTIS and E-COLL and E/D/E Industry services. The marketplace was preceded by a networking evening, which also offered plenty of opportunity for mutual exchange. A special feature: the EDE member companies took the opportunity to invite selected customers and thus to take a look at the wide range of products and assortments together.
The feedback from the participants was positive throughout: “The visit was very stimulating. For our company, we were able to pick up a lot of impulses to expand our product ranges,” describes Ivan Polák, Managing Director of member company AG Náradie s.r.o. from Slovakia: “Our final customers were also very happy to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the marketplace.” The participating suppliers were equally satisfied: “The pleasant atmosphere and the good organization of the event helped to facilitate the exchange between participants, to meet partners from the Czech and Slovak markets, and to discuss market requirements and needs,” emphasizes Benjamin Fischer, International Account Manager at Altrex B.V. (Netherlands).
The launch of the new FORMAT homepage in Czech took place at the same time as the marketplace. “As part of our digital strategy FORMAT 3.0, the website, in addition to our own LinkedIn account, forms an essential cornerstone. We were equally pleased to be able to present the new FORMAT image film to the visitors,” says Vladimira Gimerska, EDE International Country Manager: “In addition, we organized a workshop on digital marketing with a professional sales coach for our partners, which also met with a very positive response.”
In the end, all participants were sure that the next FORMATplus Marketplace for the Czech Republic and Slovakia is firmly planned in two years. “The entirely positive feedback from our members and suppliers has once again confirmed to us how important and valuable the personal exchange among market participants is!”, Martin Ochelski, Sales Director Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Eastern Europe, sums up.
FORUM tools given a new presentation
Since February, the E/D/E member has set up a new sales wall at the Barneveld location, the Netherlands, to present the FORUM tools. The core business of H.O. Remmerden is the wholesale of tools for industry and construction companies at three locations in Rhenen, Barneveld and Druten, the Netherlands, as well as at a further location in Tiel for the collection of products. The company is characterised by its wide range of tools and its large stock assortment – both on site in the respective branches and in the overall warehouse at the Rhenen location.
Service-oriented
“Gewoon doen”, “Simply do it” – the motto of H.O. Remmerden – is reflected in the customer-oriented offers.
Special services include direct delivery to end customers as well as uncomplicated and fast repair of defective power tools. The feel-good factor is not lacking either: customers get a familiar feeling when they enter the shops. People know and trust each other – employees and customers meet here at eye level. This includes direct and specialised, but also very individual advice, which Remmerden sees as a service to the customer. In addition, ustomers can order further FORUM tools from the catalogue on site. People know and trust each other – employees and customers meet here at eye level. This includes direct and specialised, but also very individual advice, which Remmerden sees as a service to the customer. In addition, customers can order further FORUM tools from the catalogue on site. A total of 27,000 products, 7,000 of which are FORUM products, can be ordered and are delivered from the E/D/E warehouse in Wuppertal to the end customers in the Netherlands within 24 hours via drop shipment.
Structured and open
The shop concept also contributes to the positive overall impression: It is well structured, open and clearly laid out. In February, a new presentation wall for the FORUM tools was fitted into this concept. At the Barneveld location, they were given a premium place. Three metres of wall space were provided for this purpose. What makes the exhibition space additionally attractive is the orientation in height: with a height of four metres and a two-metre-high banner, the wall is an eye-catcher for customers even from a distance. The FORUM tool wall in Barneveld was flexibly put together by Remmerden, erected in a very short time and, with the selection made, it covers the needs of all experts. Maximilian Görgens, BeNeLux representative at EDE International, provided advice, planning and implementation. And this is exactly the service he offers to the member companies: On-site advice, design suggestions and sometimes even the handicraft implementation up to the finished exhibition wall.
Eastern European partner boards meet in Wuppertal
Kick-off for the FORMAT concept 3.0
How can the opportunities of digitalisation be used to establish target-oriented sales and marketing concepts? This was the question addressed by the partner advisory boards from four Eastern European markets during their sales meetings at E/D/E in Wuppertal.
High-growth markets were represented by the partner advisory boards from Hungary, which met in December 2022, from Poland, as well as from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which each travelled to Wuppertal in January. Poland stands out in particular with a 13 per cent increase in volume in 2022 compared to the previous year. “After a break of several years due to Corona, it was high time to meet our partners in person again and discuss current topics,” says Martin Ochelski, Sales Manager Austria, Switzerland, Eastern Europe EDE International: “We were able to welcome the advisory board and the dealer network from Hungary to Wuppertal for the first time, the other advisory boards last met here more than five years ago,” Ochelski continues.
All the more welcome was the opportunity to get information on the spot about key topics such as marketing, purchasing optimisation and logistics. The visitors took away exciting impressions from the tour of the eLC Logistics Centre, among other things. The use of dispensing machines for even more flexible customer delivery was also discussed. The main focus of all three sales conferences was the topic “FORMAT concept 3.0”. After the person-oriented concept with advice directly at the sales counter and the catalogue-driven business, the course is now being set towards digitalisation in the third stage of market development.
Interactive marketing
The goal is to connect with customers at all levels, in person as well as online and in social media. Catalogues continue to serve as sales support, but are increasingly being supplemented and replaced by digital channels from YouTube to LinkedIn. “The kick-off served to present the concept of interactive marketing as well as the medium-term planning for the coming years and to develop it further with the partner advisory boards,” Ochelski continues.
New activities for 2023
Implementation will begin successively in the coming months: In addition to a new edition of the tool catalogue, which will be published in the middle of 2023, increased online activities are planned, including FORMAT landing pages in the respective national languages. To strengthen personal customer contacts, FORMAT marketplace events are also in preparation: in May for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, followed by Poland in June.
Workplace equipment: Unique concept for suppliers and dealers in Europe
E/D/E’s business equipment concept for its European partners was launched a good year ago. Around twelve months later, the initiators and member companies are drawing a conclusion from this large-scale project.
Launched in November 2021, the factory equipment concept aims to provide special support to members and suppliers in European countries outside Germany, from Spain to Benelux and Slovakia. “With a concept that is unique in Europe, we bring traders and suppliers together: The dealers get a wide range of products and the suppliers get access to a majority of dealers,” says Freek Dekkers, Sales Manager North Europe-Benelux at EDE International.
In accordance with the E/D/E principle “listen – understand – implement”, he and Martin Ochelski, Sales Manager Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Eastern Europe, have recorded the needs of the international partners. The result: a catalogue that takes on a number of tasks. For example, all member conditions as well as the freight rates for each country and for each individual supplier have already been negotiated.
The logistical challenge of the concept was great: 20,000 catalogues in seven languages for twelve countries in printed as well as online versions.
Added value for members
The feedback from members shows that it was worth thinking outside the box. Managing Director Alina Dragomirescu at Hesse in Timișoara, Romania, summarises the advantages of the catalogue for her company: “Before, we had problems with handling freight costs, because the customer needs his EC price including all costs, which was always complicated to present. With the new catalogue, our customers can order any item online, including freight and other costs.”
Tinne Verhemeldonck at ERIKS nv in Mol, Belgium, is also convinced of the new possibilities to address potential customers: “Our sales force uses the catalogue in different ways. Some salespeople use it as a guide. Others use it primarily as an introduction to our portfolio and its variants.
Local manufacturers with a European sales market
Martin Ochelski says about the outlook for the concept: “We have taken a close look at the market requirements of our international partners and suppliers and mapped them in the catalogue. In the next step, we want to design it more to meet the individual needs in the individual countries. For example, we plan to include even more local manufacturers and thus open up the European business to them”.
