With his international experience, Hugues Despres should bring fresh wind into the company, Hedgren said. For the brand, which has stood for bags in everyday life, business and journey since 1993, Despres has a clear vision: to establish hedgers as a strong, iconic lifestyle brand, which not only impresses with its own design manuscript and smart functionality, but also as a synonym for innovative strength and target group -specific market understanding.
Despres previously worked in international, leading positions for well-known brands such as Montblanc International, Mars Incorporated or Goodyear. He is convinced: “A brand can only develop its full potential if it knows the needs of the market and customers. You learn that by keeping contact, listening and setting your own sensitivities in the back. It always has to be a win-win situation. Together with our business partners, learning from each other and shaping the future together. ”
Despres has developed a strategic ten -year plan that aims to lead hedge to a new era. The brand identity is to be sharpened, the brand continuously develops and expanded geographically. It is important to build a strong omnichannel sales network, to open up new customer groups and thus to win new business partners.
A crucial success factor is distribution. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Bernhard Hitzler has been running the fortunes of Hedgren for over 14 years. The brand has grown continuously here. “Not every country is the same, it is crucial to adapt the measures and procedures. But a success model like Germany offers many valuable insights that can be used for internationalization, especially in Europe, ”says Despres.
The future distribution strategy relies on omnichannel approaches and partnership cooperation. Hedgren should be continuously developed together with other investors. One focus is on an even stronger market penetration and an intelligent link between inpatient retail, specialist retail partners and digital sales channels.