Hermes, a sister company of Crate & Barrel, has confirmed its attendance at the IRCE from June 4 to 7 in Chicago. As a full-service provider of multichannel solutions for retailers and brands, Hermes has recently established itself as a leading provider of end-to-end services in e-commerce. The enterprise is part of the Otto Group that employs 50,000 people worldwide and is the second-largest retailer in the world behind Amazon.
At the IRCE, Hermes will be showcasing its broad portfolio of services for the retail industry - from sourcing and international transportation to fulfilment and home deliveries. "With its 12 specialized companies, Hermes is still the only service provider worldwide capable of offering its clients such a complete service," says Max Bense, head of international business development at Hermes Europe. "As a consequence of the boom in European e-commerce, we are focusing our activities on international retailers looking to expand their business to Europe. Hermes is the perfect partner for them.”
In the past few years e-commerce in Europe has been growing faster than in the US. According to Forrester Research, sales in web-retailing will grow from 112 billion euros in 2012 to 191 billion euros in 2014 - averaging annual growth of approximately 10 percent. Online shopping is particularly on the rise in countries such as the UK, Germany and France which together make up roughly 70 percent of all European web-based sales. Of Europe's population of 740 million, 364 million are active e-shoppers. This strong European market was a major contributor to worldwide e-sales of over $1 trillion in 2012.
Hermes at the IRCE
In the light of current trends, Hermes has expanded its international strategy primarily in the US and French markets. With immediate effect, Uwe Bald, 39, will be taking charge of business developments in the US from Los Angeles. He will be speaking at the IRCE (June 6, 4.15 pm) and presenting the Hermes e-commerce portfolio of services. Bald will be drawing on his nearly 20-year expertise in international marketing and sales at companies such as Mannesmann, Bosch, Gedys and Arvato/Bertelsmann.
With offices in New York City and Bentonville AR, Hermes is already working successfully together with many international distance sellers such as QVC, Guthy Ranker, Escada, Bombay and Wolford. The specific full-service offering includes webshop design and operations, warehousing, customer service, returns management and financial services. Services are available either as a managed full service or in modular units.
Visit Hermes at the IRCE, Booth 1449.