Three months after taking up his position as CEO of MediaMarkt Benelux, Olivier Van den Bossche is setting out the strategy for the region’s largest electronics chain. At the RetailDetail Night, he makes his first public appearance in his new role.
Importance of customer experience
The former CEO of Galeria and Rituals wants to focus on refining the customer experience and further enhancing the omnichannel approach. “Sometimes you see things differently when you have not grown within the company. My experiences at Rituals and at the Galeria and Inno department stores, for example, have taught me how important service and customer experience are.”
But above all, Van den Bossche believes in the power of teams and culture. “There is a great deal of expertise and know-how internally. I therefore want to further strengthen the exchange between Belgium and the Netherlands.”
Phased expansion
MediaMarkt has invested heavily in stores and renovations in recent years. Van den Bossche thinks there is still room for expansion in Belgium, although he is selective: “We still have some gaps. Think of the regions of Aalst, Sint-Niklaas, and Namur. The new store in Genk will open on 26 November. Coverage in the Netherlands is good, with a few exceptions, especially towards the east.”
The prestigious Lighthouse store concept, which the chain uses internationally in top cities, is also on the radar in Belgium. However, the CEO immediately lowers expectations: “It is not concrete. All the parameters have to be right: city, location, surface area, visibility. These are heavy investments, so it will not happen overnight. Identifying the right locations and parameters is also an important exercise for existing branches. Are we still in the right buildings and in the best locations everywhere?”
Services as a new growth area
Like other electronics chains, MediaMarkt is seeing the share of services in its turnover increase. “We are definitely going to grow even more in services”, Van den Bossche predicts. “MediaMarkt has the advantage of being able to focus both on price – without being an outspoken discounter – and on customer experience and service. There is something for everyone, depending on what you need and when.”
The range of services varies from installations (from large household appliances to computers) to retail media. The Smartbar, where customers can go for repairs and technical support, is also becoming a strategic priority. In addition, MediaMarkt is testing personalised advice in Germany: specialised employees assist customers with complex purchases, such as high-end TVs or laptops. “This evolution is also coming to the Benelux.”
One of the largest operational projects is now the roll-out of refurbished products, a category that is growing rapidly at many electronics retailers. From next week, selected stores will introduce a range of refurbished smartphones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches and PlayStations, as was previously done in the Netherlands. In addition, the company’s own telecom subscription, Let’s Go Mobile, is coming to Belgium, following its roll-out in the Netherlands, which started in April this year.
Good run-up to the holidays
Will it be a lean or a fat Christmas? “It will be a merry Christmas”, Van den Bossche smiles. The crucial end-of-year period kicks off with Black Friday Weeks, but the first trends are already emerging in the run-up to it. And they look positive, the CEO says encouragingly.
The first weeks of November are encouraging: “The figures are good in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. But we have to stay sharp in the run-up to Black Friday.”
At RetailDetail Night, on 20 November in Antwerp, Olivier van den Bossche will have a candid conversation with Geoffroy Gersdorff (Carrefour), Anaïs Claes (JBC), and Wouter Kolk (formerly of Ahold Delhaize). Click the button below to view the program and order tickets for the end-of-year event for the retail sector in the Benelux.
