GERMANY. Gebr Heinemann has presented its Supplier of the Year award to beauty brand Elizabeth Arden, which was rated excellent in the categories titled “˜Offers’, “˜Strategic Support’ and “˜General Business Conduct’.
The annual title, awarded since 2007, recognises “outstanding collaboration” with the Hamburg-based travel retailer and distributor.
The award is made according to a range of criteria that are made known to all partners. Following the evaluation, every supplier is provided with a breakdown of their results. The size of a company and good sales figures are not the critical factors in achieving a high score, according to Gebr Heinemann. Instead, it noted, “the quality of the working relationship between the supplier and the company is what counts”.
This year, considerably more weight was attached to worldwide joint strategic planning and support, said Gebr Heinemann.
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Flying the flag for beauty: Celebrating the Supplier of the Year award are (from left) Frank Andreassen (Elizabeth Arden), Sarah Rughöft (Gebr Heinemann), Jill Folger (Gebr Heinemann), Tina Jensen (Elizabeth Arden), Stéphane Bonnet (Elizabeth Arden), Therese Hansen (Elizabeth Arden), Britta Olschner (Gebr Heinemann) and Jessica Schulze (Gebr Heinemann) |
Gebr Heinemann Director Purchase Perfume & Cosmetics Britta Olschner said: “We often receive the feedback from the industry that it would be easier for suppliers with a smaller portfolio or a lower degree of complexity to achieve a better score in the evaluation. Since in these cases, however, significantly smaller teams are usually responsible for Heinemann, the example provided by Elizabeth Arden proves that also a small group of people can offer the best level of service.”
She added: “We deeply appreciate the straightforward and pragmatic style of communication and the working relationship we have with Elizabeth Arden. Their team knows its markets intimately and adapts its ranges and offers to the needs of customers. This enables us to access markets very quickly and flexibly, and effectively satisfy a wide spectrum of customer requirements.”
Elizabeth Arden Travel Retail Europe Business Development Director Frank Andreassen said: “It is indeed a privilege for us to be awarded “˜Supplier of the Year 2015′ by Gebr. Heinemann from such a prestigious group of perfume and cosmetic suppliers.
“The fact that a sharper focus on operational excellence has been recognised as “˜Best in Class’ by a leading global travel retail operator is a fantastic credit to our dedicated team. At the same time, we have seen solid business growth so far this year.”
