The Moodie Davitt Report brings you the latest instalment in our popular series Ten Easy Pieces*, in which we get up close and personal with leading travel retail personalities via ten snapshot questions.
In this edition we meet Tax Free Trade Founder and Braun Sales Agent Travel Retail Klaus Mellin. ‘Mr Braun’, as he is affectionately known, beguiles us with tales from Europe to a remote Australian island. He talks of his interest in broadcasting and photography through his words and photographs and his love of life.
1. Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Stettin, Germany (where part of my mother’s family lived, now it is part of Poland) but grew up near Stuttgart in Southern Germany.
2. You studied at the School of Economics in Stuttgart. What was your main ambition as a young man?
As most youngsters at the time I wanted to make the most of what the democratic new Germany was offering, also to help make it a better country and, of course, to see the rest of the world. However I had no specific plans regarding a career. Through a friend I came into contact with German camera manufacturer Zeiss Ikon; I liked the brand and its international approach.
3. In the early 1960’s you started working for Zeiss Ikon in Stuttgart and your travels began… or had you already developed a passion for adventure and travel?
Through books and pictures I developed an interest in other parts of the world. As a very young kid I spent eight months with friends of our family in Stockholm, Sweden and it was there that I had my first taste of chocolate. That was just a couple of years after World War II and chocolate was not available to us in Germany.
Later on, with my parents and sister, I discovered our neighbouring countries during summer holiday trips. Working at Zeiss Ikon (first as apprentice then Assistant Export Manager based in Stuttgart and later, as Sales Representative in South Africa, and as Sales & Marketing Manager based in Sydney, Australia) I quickly developed an interest in photography and filming, both of which I still enjoy today.
In Australia I was fortunate enough to combine my interest in photography with another one of my ‘passions’: broadcasting. I had started dabbling in broadcasting in South Africa and kept it up whilst working for Zeiss Ikon back in Stuttgart, and then had my own Photoradio programme at one stage in Sydney. Broadcasting is an interesting medium even in today’s fully connected world. Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, it was even more fascinating and enabled me to meet and speak with the most interesting people.
[In 1971 Klaus was among guests during the then German Minister of Defence Helmut Schmidt’s visit to the Australian capital Canberra. An edited version of his film clip, using a Braun-Nizo Super 8 movie camera, on Schmidt’s departure was featured by Australia’s SBS national public television network. As Klaus pointed out, it is interesting to note the lack of airport security].
4. Tell us about Lord Howe Island. Why did you go there and did that visit spark your interest in snorkelling and scuba diving?
Lord Howe Island intrigued me from the moment I saw the Sunderland Flying Boats of Ansett Airlines taking off from Rosebay in Sydney Harbour.
I had friends who had been on this tiny Australian island in the Tasman Sea, east of Port Macquarie. They had told me about its sandy beaches, subtropical forests and crystal clear waters. I was fascinated by the flying boats and keen to have a ride on these exciting aircraft and land in the lagoon of this southernmost island where coral reefs were growing. I had learned to scuba dive during my three-year stay in South Africa so Lord Howe Island was the perfect place to go under water again.
5. You joined Braun in 1973. Now, more than four decades later, you are known in the industry as ‘Mr Braun’. Tell us about then and now. How has Braun and its products changed?
Basically, then it was airmail letters and, if it was urgent, we had telex and then fax. Now we have instant communication and connectivity and everything has to happen fast.
What has not changed, fortunately, is that we are in a people’s business. Then I could make friends with customers and other suppliers and that is still the same today.
What is also still the same is that we offer great quality products which consumers love to use.
6. How has the industry changed over the years and how do you view the future of travel retail?
The industry has become much more professional. The stores, and the presentation of products in the stores, are so much more exciting. At the same time everything is transparent.
The future of travel retail is ever more challenging but the good thing is that more people are travelling and, as in earlier years, the willingness to spend when travelling is still there.
7. What do you regard as your greatest challenge?
Staying healthy and finding the right track with my family and my young team in the company so that they continue enjoying what they do and keep the Braun flag flying in travel retail around the world.
8. What are your favourite destinations for business and personal travel and why?
There are so many wonderful places at home in Germany and in the world. The best places are those where I have friends and I consider myself really lucky to have friends in many places.
Geographical favourites are the British Virgin Islands and Sydney, as well as other places in Australia (such as Lord Howe Island).
9. If you were to describe the best moment of your entire career what would it be?
That probably was just over a year ago when we celebrated 25 years of my company in the Braun Collection (to avoid calling it the Braun Museum) in Kronberg when family, business colleagues and friends came together.
The Braun Collection presents the diverse history of the company and the Braun brand in a permanent exhibition that was newly designed in 2011. Around 300 exhibits illustrate the development of Braun design from its first beginnings to the present day, including all of Braun’s diverse product categories.
The exhibition covers fascinating areas such as the very early history of the company and its designs and considers the design language of the future. It’s a permanent exhibition with interactive elements. It’s quite incredible to think that the Braun Collection archive contains some 5,600 products spanning 90 years, and to think that approximately 2,800 of these are one-off items that never went into series production.
The Braun Collection features in a new video released by the city of Kronberg earlier this month.
10. Let’s finish away from travel retail. How does ‘Mr Braun’ switch off?
I think I am lucky that I have no trouble in switching off! Probably that was harder in my younger days. When I shut down the laptop and leave the office I do not think about business anymore and I have so far avoided, on purpose, having my e-mails sent to my smartphone.
I am fortunate as well that my wife Birgitt has supported me all these years and also that our eldest daughter, Kathrin, is working in our company.
Once a week I use the sports facility we have at Braun. I am on the board of our church congregation as well as the Kronberg Foundation and, with a few others, I organise interesting talks and discussions on various topics.
The world is such a fascinating place!
*PREVIOUSLY FEATURED IN TEN EASY PIECES
Meet Karelia Tobacco Company ‘voice’ Joanna Kamarinopoulos
Meet Monzelez WTR marketing specialist Irina Tarabanko
Meet the underwater wine woman Irina Wiedemann
Meet JTI Worldwide Duty Free’s Gemma Bateson
Meet Perricone MD’s Virginie Descamps
Meet Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits Global Travel Retail Director Kevin Baker
Meet Moroccanoil VP Sales John Gates
Meet Furla Global Travel Retail Director Gerry Munday
Meet Genie-S Vice President Ralph Bou Nader
Meet Daniel Wellington Founder Filip Tysander
Meet Tumi’s Fernando Ciccarelli
