Fashion United
Summum
How Summum is leveraging Modexpress’s expertise to ‘Drive Ambition Together’
When Jos and Jorien Wijker first founded Amsterdam-based fashion label Summum in 1998, the couple did not imagine the international success the brand would have today. Growing from a single collection to 11 stores across the Netherlands and countless wholesale partners, the self-proclaimed “down-to-earth Dutch brand with an international appeal is now sold in eighteen countries and counting.
How Summum is leveraging Modexpress’s expertise to ‘Drive Ambition Together’
When Jos and Jorien Wijker first founded Amsterdam-based fashion label Summum in 1998, the couple did not imagine the international success the brand would have today. Growing from a single collection to 11 stores across the Netherlands and countless wholesale partners, the self-proclaimed “down-to-earth Dutch brand with an international appeal is now sold in eighteen countries and counting.
Continue to scale
As the brand continues to scale its offerings into new international markets, commercial director Lars Gelling, who has been with the brand for over 18 years and built up its export business, sought the proper logistics and fulfillment partner who could help them achieve their ambitious growth.
International online business expansion
With Summum’s international online business expansion, he knew that to keep up with rising customer expectations, particularly regarding shipping speed and cost, it would be best to secure dedicated third-party logistics providers to help manage their inventory storage, order fulfillment, and returns.
Wanting to work with a dedicated fashion logistics and fulfillment partner, he reached out to Modexpress back in 2020. “As we were growing and growing, I decided that we needed to find a dedicated logistics partner who could take over the shipping and fulfillment of our pre-orders,” explained Gelling.
Tailored solutions from Modexpress
Established in 1985 as a hanging garment transporter, Modexpress has emerged as the fashion industry’s premier international logistics and fulfillment provider. What sets them apart is their diverse range of services tailored to the unique needs of fashion retailers and brands.
With seven warehouses in the Netherlands spanning over 200,000 square meters and their own proprietary transport network, Modexpress offers global support to fashion brands. Their strength lies in their ability to blend wholesale, retail, and e-commerce services, adapting to the dynamic demands of the fashion industry.
“I am fully confident that Modexpress can and will fulfill all our logistic and warehouse ambitions.”
Lars Gelling | Summum
‘I am fully confident that Modexpress can and will fulfill all our logistic and warehouse ambitions. The faster and better our products are delivered, the better our products are sold online and in the stores.
As we are still growing in all divisions, we have decided that we want Modexpress to take over all our business-to-business (B2B) re-orders as well as our direct-to-consumer (D2C) orders and returns. Thanks to this extension of our partnership with Modexpress, we are able to remain at our current headquarters in Amsterdam and concentrate on growing our international markets and fashion collections to strengthen our business.’
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The number of pre-orders will grow much more in the future
In 2023, Modexpress managed 600,000 pre-orders for Summum, a significant milestone for both companies. “This number will grow much more in the future because we are extending our business with them,” explained Gelling. Building on their partnership over the last years, Gelling is confident that Modexpress can help Summum with its new logistic and warehouse ambitions as it continues to grow.
“As we are still growing in all divisions, we have decided that we want Modexpress to take over all our business-to-business (B2B) re-orders as well as our direct-to-consumer (B2C) orders and returns from July onwards,” said Gelling.
A clear example of a successful partnership, Modexpress can manage all of Summum’s B2B re-orders and B2C orders and returns quickly, as the company has the capabilities to scale its offerings and services for all clients. For example, in its newly built warehouse, Modexpress can process up to 125,000 ecommerce items per day and has the additional storage capacity for up to 5 million items, ensuring Modexpress can swiftly and easily respond to Summum’s seasonal variations in order or return volumes next to potential market shifts.
“Thanks to this extension of our partnership with Modexpress, we are able to remain at our current headquarters in Amsterdam and concentrate on growing our international markets and fashion collections to strengthen our business,” said Gelling. “The faster and better our products are delivered, the better our products are sold online and in the stores!”
Partnership with unique chemistry
In addition to leveraging its market knowledge and experience to help its clients like Summum grow, Modexpress offers a dedicated customer service approach. Providing customer service resources for operational support and direct communication with its clients, Modexpress customer service employees are strategically located on-site, maintaining direct and immediate contact with clients like Summum and employee operations on the floor.
“For us, this is a textbook example of partnership with unique chemistry when it comes to daily communication, mutual understanding, enjoyment, and, in the end, getting the job done for Summum,” said Jan Piet Duijn, site manager for Modexpress warehouse at Alphen aan den Rijn.
The physical presence and clear communication between the two ensure a dynamic approach, ensuring that issues or inquiries are addressed efficiently.
“I appreciate how Modexpress always puts Summum on a very good service level. This truly gives us and our customers the feeling that we are number one in Alphen aan den Rijn,” said Gelling. “We are always in immediate, direct contact with them should any issues arise, and they come to us straight away with solutions.”
