Stef van der Velde (founder and former CEO of Giving Europe) and Bert Groenendijk (shareholder of La Parada and former Marketing Manager of Giving Europe) founded a new company on October 1, 2021: Image Traders develops and sells exclusive products and own brands and also acts as a licensee. From the very start, the focus is being placed on both the B2B and on the B2C market. The founders talked to eppi magazine about their business model and their plans for the coming months.
Mr. van der Velde, you have been working in the promotional products market for more than 30 years and you are a well-known figure thanks to your role as founder and longtime CEO of Giving Europe. What have you been up to after you left Giving Europe in 2017 and what made you embark on a new venture with Bert Groenendijk?
Stef van der Velde: After a fantastic period of 17 years at Giving Europe and an optimal collaboration with the van Helden family, it was time to finally do the things that had been on my bucket list for a long time in combination with having more time for my private life. The first project I was involved in was setting up a chain for French fries in China (Royal Patat), the second project was a ground-breaking concept that reduces the mortality of premature babies. Then I got involved with Easee Online, an online eye measuring service. At the beginning of 2020 I became the owner and CEO of a media company called 4MAT Factory, which specialises in creating unique TV formats. During this period, I met up with Bert again in the course of a joint project involving Coldplay and other celebrities. As an extension of this project, Bert and I decided to jointly found Image Traders to create unique concepts for the retail trade, influencers, marketplaces and the promotional sector.
Mr. Groenendijk, after working as a Marketing Manager for Giving Europe until 2008, you gained extensive experience at all levels on the promotional market. Some key facts about you and your reasons for launching Image Traders?
Bert Groenendijk: After working on behalf of clients for about 20 years, I thought it would be nice to decide for myself about a product, its design and branding and marketing. Moreover, all the tools are available to do so across the network we have built up over all of this time, both on the production side and on the sales side. This plan to create own products was also on top of Stef’s bucket list. So, it didn’t take long before we decided to set this up together. We go a long way back, Stef hired me at Image Traders International (ITI) in 1998 after I had taken a degree in Marketing & Economics. So, our company name was also quickly decided. Together with Dale Owen we are running our company in Europe and Africa.
Image Traders has set itself the goal of not merely selling products, but also aims to focus on brands, concepts and brand licenses. What exactly distinguishes your new enterprise from traditional suppliers?
Stef van der Velde, board advisor and co-owner of Image Traders.
Stef van der Velde: We mainly focus on the marketing and branding of products on the social channels, so that a clear preference is created for our products through this pull strategy. This applies of course to the brand licensing articles, but also to our own products. We collaborate with renowned designers for our own product lines. In addition, 90% of the traditional suppliers are focused on China as their sourcing ground. In our case, it is exactly the other way around: We are 90% focused on Europe and 10% on the Far East. Moreover, in the light of our contacts and presence in Africa, where we have our own office, we are certainly not ruling out setting up partnerships there on the purchasing side as well.
Which product groups will you focus on and do they look alike? What are the first brands and products you will be launching?
Stef van der Velde: We have several projects underway, but for 2022 we will focus on care and lifestyle gift sets and Polar Box coolers, which we have the European and African licensing franchise for, exclusively for B2B. We will also focus on our own brand, Festibax. These innovative festival bags were one of our first products and have been on hold for a long time due to COVID. We will certainly use the upcoming festival season for an extensive promotion. We expect to gain a great deal from this, especially considering the many positive reactions from the market. Other products in the pipeline are customised plush toys and beach towels – both already available for orders of 250 pieces upwards. Also, we have set up an exclusive licence with Zazu, a brand for plush toys.
Image Traders will concentrate on both the promotional products market and the retail. Can you explain the concept behind this multi-channel sales and marketing strategy and its goal?
Bert Groenendijk: In recent years, the dividing line between retail and promotional items has become increasingly thin. Partly due to the arrival of marketplaces such as Amazon and Bol.com, many promotional products are also offered across these channels, sometimes by suppliers and sometimes even by distributors. In addition, traditional marketing is increasingly conducted via social media and influencers. Our business model focuses precisely on this. With Image Traders – and our partners – we control the entire supply chain from the creation of the products to the promotion on Instagram and the availability on the marketplaces.
How will your products and brands be marketed in the promotional products sector?
Bert Groenendijk: Via our existing network. Stef is one of the pioneers in the relationship gifts market with a very valuable network, which he has carefully built up over the past 30 years. Together we have more than 50 years of experience and a good reputation on the market. It is not without good reason that various collaborations with suppliers and distributors were established during the start-up phase of Image Traders already. Stef van der Velde: We are not bound. Whereas for one project or product, we are seeking cooperations with (stock-holding) suppliers, we collaborate with distributors for other product groups. In most cases we try to include a touch of exclusivity to make it interesting for all parties involved.
Image Traders aims to identify “Blue Ocean Markets” and develop products with a USP – how will that be done and what will be the benefits for your partners?
Bert Groenendijk, CEO of Image Traders Europe and co-owner.
Bert Groenendijk: Because we make our own purchases – or our agreements for brand licenses – we generally offer better than average margins to our partners. In addition, we develop our own products, which are distinguished by a distinctive design. Also, we offer very attractive options for the full-customisation of our products, such as low minimum order quantities and fast delivery times. Finally, we take care of the marketing to the end customer, which creates demand – or pull – for our partners. This full story makes us unique on the market.
Stef van der Velde: Since we are from the trade, our position is unfettered and fully independent, we can easily manoeuvre ourselves and see what the most promising position is for each situation. For ourselves, but also for our customers. The traditional supply chain of importer, wholesaler and end customer is outdated and keeps many companies in a grip, even more since the division between the retail and promotional sectors is blurring. The market has become more transparent, which is something we embrace and go along with. In fact, we have made it our business model.
Which role does sustainability play in your sourcing activities?
Bert Groenendijk: Sustainability is an integral part of our business operations. Today, this is matter of course. In fact, it offers enormous opportunities for the future. Our main focus doesn’t lie on the European manufacturing industry without good reason. The question is: how far do you go with this? In our view, transparency is a very important aspect. Combatting greenwashing is in the interest of the entire industry. We will be launching product lines in our own portfolio in which environmental friendliness plays a very prominent role.
Image Traders is working remotely with offices in Amsterdam, Malaga, Bremen and Cape Town. Which sales areas will you be focussing on as a first step?
Bert Groenendijk: We are not excluding any markets, but the focus in 2022 will lie on Europe and various African countries.
What can the industry expect from Image Traders in the near future?
Stef van der Velde: Commotion!
// Till Barth spoke to Bert Groenendijk and Stef van der Velde.
Photos: Image Traders
