Mark Vliegenthart has been Head of E-commerce at JOG Group for a year and a half, which includes retailer Jeans Centre. He is responsible for online sales – on their own platforms and through channels such as Zalando and bol.com. A few years ago, the company took a sustainable path. 'Sustainability is now really part of our work culture. A green logistics partner like DHL eCommerce fits in well with this.'
45 years of Dutch reliability
'I like to describe Jeans Centre as "friendly". That may sound a bit stale, but that's what we are,' says Mark. 'A typically Dutch company with 96 stores in mainly medium-sized cities. There we receive a fixed group of loyal customers.'
'We have been working with fine partners for years, such as DHL eCommerce. They supply our stores and deliver packages to the customer as quickly as possible.' Most jeans centre branches are DHL ServicePoint, and that has many advantages. 'People come to us to pick up or return their package. Often they immediately look around and get a cup of coffee from us. We hope they will buy their next pair of jeans here.'
The cooperation with DHL eCommerce is good, says Mark. 'It is a reliable partner. We have a fixed contact person who we can always call, also for short questions. And we turn to them for advice, for example on sustainability. DHL eCommerce is a real expert in this.'
Green jeans
'We want to weave sustainability into the DNA of Jeans Centre,' says Mark. That's in things like shopfitting, lighting and packaging. But according to him, it all starts with the production. "With Garcia, one of our brands, we have just launched a new campaign: Our most sustainable jeans. In September, we signed the Green Deal Circular Denim, a collaboration between textile waste processors, producers and retailers, among others. By signing this covenant, we are working on a new standard. One in which it is normal to use recycled material for denim.'
Sustainable logistics operation
Sustainability also plays a major role in the logistics operation. Mark: 'We strive for less and less traffic between our branches. For example, we are working on an omnichannel algorithm that allows us to know exactly which clothing is popular where. This ensures that DHL eCommerce can immediately bring the right stock to our stores and does not have to drive back and forth too often. We also try to combine direct deliveries to consumers as much as possible, so that it saves another ride.'
Smart collaboration
Mark is happy with such an ambitious partner. "DHL eCommerce has come a long way when it comes to sustainability. They deliver packages CO2-neutral, for example by delivering with electric vans. The CityHubs are close to the major cities, so that they can transport without carbon dioxide emissions and are close to the consumer. The new RegioHubs are built according to the BREEAM certification method and the residual emissions are fully compensated. Through the DHL portal, we can see exactly what the emissions of a particular order are, and how they compensate for them. Thanks to this portal, we also have a grip on our shipments and we can easily make changes.'
'We are already well on our way with our sustainable business operations, but of course there is always room for improvement. We regularly discuss with DHL eCommerce how we can deliver even greener in the future.'
Fotobijschrift:
Mark Vliegenthart (Head of E-commerce JOG Group) met Frank Mesdag (Key Account Manager DHL eCommerce) in de Jeans Centre winkel in Den Haag. Dit filiaal is ook DHL ServicePoint.