A well-loved household name in mainland Europe, gift and stationery company Depesche, is refocusing its efforts on the UK market having invested in a brand new sales set-up, appointed a UK-based fulfilment partner, reduced its minimum order quantities and become a Cardgains/Bridewell official supplier.
Established in 1985 by Kjeld Schiøtz in Hamburg, today Depesche employs around 300 people with its products distributed in 41 countries, with designated companies in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and France.
With a quest to grow its presence in the UK, and further build on the success of its brands which include TopModel, Dino World, Miss Melody, Yivi and Princess Mimi, the last few months has seen Depesche ramp up on the sales side.
Drawing on the vast industry experience of Pete Goodman and Mike Apicella, who both have known Kjeld for years, they are now heading up the sales team in the UK. New to the team are Mark Holland who has joined as national accounts manager; Jo Mills has been appointed area sales manager north west for independents, while Andrea Pitchford has joined as area sales manager for the Midlands, taking on the role from Daniel Charley, who has been promoted to general sales manager for independents and key accounts.
“Mike and I are delighted to be heading up the UK sales side for Depesche,” Pete Goodman told GiftsandHome.net. “Kjeld and I go back to the late ‘90s when I was part of Hanson White/Xpressions and Depesche was a distributor for us in Germany. It is a wonderfully-run business which continually invests in its products and its people. While historically Depesche’s distribution in the UK has been more skewed to toy retailers, the expansion of the product portfolio means it is now more relevant to the gifts, greetings and garden centre retail sectors too.”
Another signal of its commitment to the UK market is the appointment of Set in Hand as its fulfilment partner, reducing delivery lead times for retailers from this UK base in Suffolk. Previously, all Depesche orders into the UK came from Germany.
“With Depesche now an official Cardgains supplier, we look forward to building the brand’s relationship with many more gift and card retailers over the coming months and years,” added Pete.
Top: The TopModel by Depesche range spans stationery and gifts that appeal to girls
