Beter Bed Holding

Annual Report 2014

Strategy

The company will achieve its objectives based on the following strategy:

Retail marketing

  • Growth in revenue at comparable stores (like-for-like growth) by increasing visitor numbers, conversion, average order value. Customer satisfaction is also daily improved based on a 'facts-not-guesses' policy using the Net Promotor Score (NPS).

  • Strengthening the distinctive proposition of the retail formulas by, among other things, relaunching the existing formulas and developing and introducing our own marketing and product concepts based on purchasing strength. New products are regularly developed through the use of, for example, technological developments related to foam and spring systems used in the mattresses, as well as by responding to trends in local demand, such as the demand for box springs in the Benelux market.

  • Striving for strategic partnerships with suppliers, with the goal of optimally leveraging each other’s knowledge and expertise to create value for all stakeholders.

  • Beter Bed Holding aims to test the bulk of its mattresses for the presence of hazardous substances, in order to keep health hazards for its customers and damage to the environment to a minimum. The company aims for 80% of the mattresses to be certified and tested by independent institutes for the presence of hazardous materials by 2016.

  • Developing own webshops and entering into strategic partnerships with platforms like Wehkamp.nl, Bol.com and Amazon.de, to enable customers to better orient themselves online for purchase and then, where desired, purchase online after receiving offline advice in our stores.

Expansion

  • Achieving expansion by expanding existing store concepts within and outside of the Netherlands in omni-channel context but also by penetrating new geographic markets. Flexible leases are an important component of our expansion policy.

  • Where desired, stores can be relocated in order to take optimal advantage of revenue opportunities.

Financial management

  • Flexibilising costs by minimising investments per store and maximising flexibility in leases, to allow the company to adjust the store portfolio relatively quickly in the face of adverse market conditions.

  • Exercising stringent cost monitoring without falling into ‘penny wise, pound foolish’ territory. Seeking partnerships within and between chains and countries in order to arrive at the best possible price arrangements for the group.

  • The aim is to achieve an annual increase in gross margin, rent reductions, working capital reduction and opening hours optimisation.

Information technology

  • Ongoing improvement of the primary and supporting organisational processes by means of state-of-the-art information architecture and the pursuit of a ‘facts-not-guesses’ policy. Flexible (but robust) IT systems enable the company to move fast with new commercial trends and opportunities. We strive to achieve the advantages of outsourcing wherever possible.

Logistics

  • Ability to manage the supply chain as effectively and efficiently as possible, from purchasing up to and including home delivery. Customer satisfaction is key; flexibility of the logistics infrastructure is essential to achieving this.

  • Removing packaging materials, particularly plastics and cardboard, when delivering products to customers. As of February 2013, all these packaging materials are segregated at the distribution centres and presented for recycling.


Team development and people development

  • Continuously highlighting the key values and code of conduct of Beter Bed Holding in all formulas and countries.

  • Continuous optimisation through in-company training of our sales staff and other employees by improving sales methods and sales advice.

  • Strengthening the management of the local organisations.

  • Beter Bed Holding aims for at least 30% of management positions at the company to be held by women by 2016. Partly in order to achieve this goal, Beter Bed Holding has been a signatory of the ‘Talent to the Top’ Charter, which applies strict monitoring of progress towards achieving this goal, since the spring of 2014.