Beeztees | The Netherlands

Team effort

Job and Guusje felt that they were ready to take their business to a new level. “We were already keeping our eyes open for opportunities and prepared the ground for seizing a business opportunity by strengthening our already highly qualified staff,” Guusje explains.

“We felt that Beeztees had momentum, and Karlie was there at the right time.”

The Beeztees owners took their time to get to know the people and the business at the Karlie headquarters, where they spoke with various staff members.

Understandably, the Karlie personnel were hesitant at first but the Van Riels felt that their plans were met with curiosity, especially because their approach was more informal compared to what Karlie had experienced in the recent past.

Job adds: “What we learned from our visits to Germany is that the Karlie team is resilient and very eager to restore the company’s strength. Despite the fact that the team is smaller than before, there is still a lot of expertise.

Yes, times have been rough, but now the Karlie team can leave those turbulent times behind. We are committed to work and move forward together.” 

Matching mindsets

“Acquiring a company and exploring business opportunities is not just about building a strong business case and being focussed on making fast money,” says Guusje. “We thrive on adding value in a business process. We felt a connection with Karlie and the German way of doing business, which, like the Dutch corporate culture, is quite direct.”

Karlie currently misses an innovative business drive, but it is exactly this drive which will help them regain their strength and market value. Beeztees is the perfect partner to bring this to the equation.

Karlie continues as a separate, stand- alone business where the current management, led by Dominik Müser, will remain in place. Beeztees aims to bring the company’s best practice, its innovative nature, to Karlie and add value to Karlie and the German-speaking market. “We must continue to trust our own strengths”, says Job. “Karlie is still a highly valued brand and we can help to rebuild a strong player in the market.”

Changes to come

In The Netherlands, Beeztees will continue to operate the way it currently does. However, some of its most innovative products will be added under the Beeztees label to the Karlie range, where Karlie will serve as distributor for these products. This gives the company the chance to bring innovation back to the home market very soon. Guusje: “We are aiming to launch over 500 SKU in November/December. All these products are bestsellers.”

In addition to that, many newly designed products will also be launched under the Karlie label (expected Q1-Q2 of 2018). Job: “We are very serious about bringing back innovation to Karlie and we are not afraid to invest in that.”

Job continues: “We believe in Beeztees’ strength and in Karlie’s strength and through this cooperation we can cover new ground without losing our identity. We want to do what we know and love best, and there is no need to enforce synergy.”

Future prospects

The vision is clear and Job and Guusje aim to continue improving the service level and to add innovation to Karlie’s business. However, the most important thing is to build trust, and invest in relationships with customers and suppliers.

Guusje concludes: “We now need to prove that we are dedicated to putting our money where our mouth is. But, we are well on the way – the service level has improved a lot and new products are coming in soon!”