Picture: Gries Deco Company
Stylish living made easy
Not so long ago, it would have taken a special occasion to justify taking the best damask tablecloth out of the bottom drawer. Today, the table, or even the whole apartment, gets a regular makeover as mood requires. Matching accessories and small items of furniture can be found at some 150 branches of the retail chain DEPOT. CargoLine partner Kissel ensures deliveries arrive right on time.
Almost as soon as the crocuses, daffodils and tulips announce that long-awaited spring has finally arrived, DEPOT puts us in the mood for summer with inviting garden loungers, decorative accessories made from bamboo and terracotta as well as barbecue paraphernalia. The company based in Niedernberg in Lower Franconia satisfies a widespread desire for “homing” or “cocooning” with four main collections each year, each comprising some 2,000 items for furnishing, decorating and giving, as well as four sub-themes and smaller collections for each season. And there are many people who feel the need to create a retreat or oasis of calm in their homes – especially when professional life is stressful or in difficult economic times. “We give our customers carefully coordinated ideas for interior design and arrange them in atmospheric 'worlds of living’. This allows us to meet the growing aspirations of our customers in terms of design and their desire to buy matching accessories and home textiles to go with larger items of furniture,” says Christian Gries, Managing Director and majority shareholder in the DEPOT parent company Gries Deco Company (GDC), explaining his company’s success.
Setting trends
The retail chain is organised vertically in the same way as a modern fashion company. This means that it controls the entire value added chain from the production to the sale of its products. For example, DEPOT’s own trend scouts discuss the manufacturing of the products that will be relevant in the coming season directly with the manufacturers in Asia. In this way, the company has a stronger position in purchasing and can also offer high quality products at a good value price. Its specific trend know-how coupled with many years of experience flow into the creative combination of changing theme worlds and their staging in the shops. So customers are presented with a new ‘world of living’ every two to four weeks – as an inspiration to make their own homes even more beautiful.
Toadstools – a sales hit
62 years ago, the company’s founders Maria and Oskar Gries would never have dreamed that their small business would one day develop into a company with more than 150 DEPOT branches and shop-in-shops in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Majorca. Early sales hits included home-made toadstools, peppers and acorns for victory wreaths. At that time, the company was still known as “Oskar Gries Fabrikation von künstlichen Früchten und Christbaumschmuck” (Oskar Gries Manufacturer of Artificial Fruits and Christmas Tree Decorations). Their son Michael Gries expanded the range available for wholesalers to include flower arrangements and advent decorations. In 1995, DEPOT was launched as a separate sales channel to reach consumers. “What began as a one-off campaign – to sell Christmas decorations at special prices in an empty production hall in Schöllkrippen near Aschaffenburg – was so successful that we decided to pursue the concept further,” says Christian Gries, the founders’ grandson, remembering the launch of the retail chain. Since the autumn of 2008, customers have been able to order a significant proportion of the extensive range via the company’s online shop. The range of goods available online is currently being expanded again in the areas of Living, Household, Kitchen, Bathroom and Home Textiles.
Delivery services right on cue
The company’s logistics have changed to cope with its development. The first deliveries in the 1950s were made using the company’s own van but expansion soon forced the family to switch to rail transport and its connected freight forwarding services. In 1996, the company engaged the services of CargoLine partner Kissel in order to provide better and punctual deliveries to its growing number of shops. The freight forwarder based in Stockstadt handles around 95 percent of all DEPOT products for distribution in Germany as well as 100 percent of goods for Europe and the rest of the world.
There are few standard services involved in transporting the goods that are first sourced from overseas and received in GDC’s own warehouse in Niedernberg, placed in temporary storage and then picked to customer order – in fact there are few standard products in the company’s range itself. “The logistical challenge is not just seasonal – there are strong fluctuations in the consignment volumes every day. Furthermore, online customers, partners and branches must receive their deliveries at a set time on a specified date,” says Michael Kissel, describing the task facing the freight forwarder. He is responsible for customer services and sales in the family-run company. And, adds Christian Gries, “80 percent of the consignments are tightly scheduled early deliveries to our shops at 7 a.m. and late deliveries at 8 p.m. They are a genuine challenge but Kissel and CargoLine have certainly mastered them well.”
Reliable and uncomplicated
For Gries, his chosen freight forwarder is not just reliable but also “flexible, local, makes decisions quickly and without complications and is a good partner even in difficult times”. In autumn 2009, for example, the company decided to open three pilot branches in Austria and Switzerland respectively as part of its expansion strategy. Kissel handled the customs formalities quickly and competently and selected reliable local freight forwarding partners. Kissel also successfully complies with the DEPOT supply of goods concept in Austria and Switzerland with fixed delivery times at 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
With this kind of back-up, Christian Gries can afford to feel relaxed as he looks forward to opening and supplying up to 180 new branches and shop-in-shops envisaged by the planned expansion of the retail chain in the coming three years.
Gries Deco Company
The supplier of living accessories, gift items and small furniture operates over 150 branches and shop-in-shops under the name DEPOT. The company has also gained a reputation as a manufacturer of room scents under the “ipuro” brand. In 2009, its 1,900 employees in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Majorca generated sales of 115 million euros.The majority shareholder is Christian Gries, the founders’ grandson.The Swiss Migros Group is a strategic investor.
www.gries-deco-company.com
www.depot-online.com
Kissel Spedition
The owner-operated company based in Stockstadt near Aschaffenburg has been a member of the CargoLine alliance since 2004. Its resources for handling consignments include a 3,500 square metre cargo handling area and over 60 local and longdistance trucks. The medium-sized freight forwarder is certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 including the HACCP concept and contract logistics services, DIN EN ISO 14001 as well as s.a.f.e.
www.kissel-spedition.de
