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Oliver Gerstberger

Director of Corporate Funding

'Xolv is the lead broker for all countries where we operate.'

Oliver Gerstberger is Director of Corporate Funding for the Selecta Group in Switzerland, an international provider of OCS (Office Coffee Services). Such as coffee machines, coffee beans, and maintenance contracts for offices, workplaces, retail, hospitality, healthcare institutions, and numerous public areas like train, bus, and subway stations. At Selecta, Oliver is responsible for a wide range of financial matters, including managing credit insurance and factoring contracts.

Lead broker
In 2017, Selecta acquired coffee wholesaler Pelican Rouge. Oliver: “Xolv was the broker for credit insurance. When both companies’ insurance and factoring contracts had to be combined, we approached Xolv to supervise that process and manage the tenders. Over the years, our collaboration has intensified. Xolv became our lead broker in setting up credit insurance and factoring programs in all the countries where we operate, and they advise us on many other financial issues.”

Keystone Trade Credit
For its foreign operations, Xolv can draw on the expertise and global network of partner Keystone Trade Credit. “However, Xolv is always our first point of contact when there are issues, questions, or problems. They look at whether, and if so, which international partners should be involved to achieve the desired results and solutions. In this sense, Xolv is also our sparring partner to explore new ideas and business opportunities. Xolv’s partners are entrepreneurs themselves, so they have a good business perspective on that,” Oliver says.”

 “They are flexible and fast, in fact, very fast.”

Corona crisis
When asked what Oliver appreciates most about Xolv, he doesn’t have to think long: “They are flexible and come up with solutions promptly. They helped us a lot when the corona crisis hit our business model in 2020. Just imagine, everyone worked at home, the coffee machines in all those offices and business premises stood idle. The same goes for the coffee machines on train platforms, in subways, bus and train stations, shopping malls, hospitals, you name it. Many debtors found themselves without sales. Xolv then negotiated a good compromise between us, the credit insurer and factoring company.”

AH to go micro-markets
“Selecta is always developing new coffee concepts,” explains Oliver. “Good food and good coffee at work is something employees find increasingly important, and it’s highly valued when available- it’s the next big thing. In cooperation with Ahold, Selecta currently offers their customers and employees quality coffee under the brand name ‘AH to go.’ Since the COVID crisis, employees are less often in the office and at different times. At the same time, there is an increasing need for a pleasant meeting place with varied, healthy, and fresh food and beverages. That is why we have joined forces with Albert Heijn: with ‘AH to go 24/7 at work’ we offer companies the opportunity to set up an unstaffed yet attractive self-service food market for their employees. This innovative grab-and-go solution is perfect for organizations with 60 or more employees and visitors. Micro-market concepts like these offer unique added value to our customers and their employees, and this creates significantly more sales for which, of course, credit insurance is required.”

A solid bond between Selecta and Xolv
Over the past few years, the collaboration with Xolv has become increasingly close. “The strictly business relationship we had, in the beginning, has evolved into a personal, more or less friendship relation. Without, however, this being at the expense of the professional character of the collaboration. In the end, it is always about the result. About solutions that fit our way of doing business,” says Oliver.

Dirk Schaffrath

Eigenaar-Directeur

‘Met Xolv sta je veel sterker bij de kredietverzekeraar’

Dirk Schaffrath (51) is, nadat hij als broekie van 23 aan de slag ging in het bedrijf van zijn vader Guido, sinds 1997 directeur-eigenaar van TCK Sports Group. Inmiddels is het in Kerkrade gevestigde familiebedrijf met ruim 70 medewerkers een van de grootste onafhankelijke importeurs in de sport- en outdoorbranche van de Benelux.

TCK Sports Group doet al jaren zaken met kredietverzekeraar Euler Hermes. Dirk: “We hebben zelf een customized beoordelingssysteem gebouwd en dat binnen onze eigen IT-omgeving geïntegreerd met het beoordelingssysteem van Euler Hermes. Stel dat een klant een te lage of geen limiet van Euler Hermes krijgt, dan kunnen wij, geheel geautomatiseerd, zelf een extra krediet geven. Mocht de klant niet betalen, dan vervalt dat extra krediet weer automatisch. Deze oplossing scheelt ons veel tijd en rompslomp.”

Ervaring aan je zijde
Dankzij het eigen beoordelingssysteem kan TCK Sports Group de dagelijkse, routinematige zaken dus prima zelf afkaarten met de kredietverzekeraar. Dirk: ”Als het echter gaat om limiet-beoordelingen voor nieuwe klanten of contractbesprekingen, kwamen we soms toch minder goed beslagen ten ijs dan ik zou willen. Het is heel specifieke materie en dan is het wel zo goed dat je wordt bijgestaan door een ervaren broker als Xolv. Zij kennen het jargon en de overwegingen van de kredietverzekeraar. Kennen de voetangels en klemmen, de do’s en don’ts.“

Gevonden via FGHS
Dirk: “Ik hou niet van koude acquisitie dus we zijn zelf actief op zoek gegaan naar een passende broker. Via onze branchevereniging FGHS (Fabrikanten en Groothandel in de Sport) zijn we uitgekomen bij Xolv, want zij zijn al samenwerkingspartner van FGHS. Zo hebben ze voor FGHS-leden een aantal branche-specifieke financiële producten ontwikkeld. Dus ze zijn al vertrouwd met de branche, dat scheelt.”

‘Bij de eerste kennismaking had ik al direct een goed gevoel’


Extra toegevoegde waarde
Dirk: “Aan de producten zelf voegen we niets toe. Dus moeten we als importeur op een andere manier toegevoegde waarde bieden. Want anders is het logisch dat fabrikanten en retailers denken: kunnen we die importeur er niet tussenuit halen? Onze extra toegevoegde waarde is gebaseerd op kennis. Zo bieden we buitenlandse fabrikanten inzicht in de lokale markten. Denk aan het betaalgedrag van retailers. Of aan onze kennis van lokale sportsegmenten waar zowel fabrikanten als retailers op kunnen inspelen. Daarnaast is risicomanagement een belangrijke toegevoegde waarde. Wij zien bijvoorbeeld eerder wanneer een lokale retailer op omvallen staat, dan een fabrikant in Italië of Turkije.”

Sneller, beter en goedkoper
Dirk onderstreept nog eens het belang van data: “Wij willen onze toegevoegde waarde‘-filosofie sneller, beter en goedkoper invullen dan onze concurrenten en rechtstreekse aanbieders. Dat lukt alleen als je over goede data beschikt en die vergaren met onze geavanceerde automatisering. Daarin blijven we dan ook investeren. Dat houdt nooit op.”

Persoonlijke benadering
Wat Dirk vooral aanspreekt in Xolv is de persoonlijke, informele benadering. “Je kunt ze altijd bellen. Vertellen het eerlijke verhaal en geven ons een beter inzicht hoe kredietverzekeraars denken, wikken en wegen. Wat ook snel duidelijk was, is dat Xolv onze markt snapt en écht geïnteresseerd is in onze bedrijfsprocessen en de manier waarop we werken. Persoonlijk klikt het ook ontzettend goed en dat is erg prettig zaken doen,” aldus Dirk.

Dirk Vinken

General manager of FGHS

With Xolv, we offer our members more options.

FGHS is the umbrella trade association for sports suppliers and has about 120 members. Together they account for the lion’s share of the annual turnover in the Dutch sports sector, which amounts to between 1.5 and 2 billion euros in consumer spending. In addition to national and international advocacy with retail and sports organizations, government agencies, and any organization or body that deals with sporting goods, FGHS offers its members a wide range of services. These include business and legal advice, logistics services, and financial services such as credit insurance and working capital solutions. With regard to the latter in particular, members can call on the expertise of Xolv.

Joint action
Director Dirk Vinken believes that offering a good broker for credit insurance is an essential enhancement to the practical help FGHS provides to its members. “I have known Paul van Uden of Xolv personally for a long time and have confidence in his qualities and the colleagues he works with, so the choice was easy. We have been working with them since the start of Xolv.”

When asked whether the members often ask Xolv for help, Dirk answers affirmatively: “A while ago, we rolled out a joint campaign with Xolv among the members, and more than 50 members responded positively. Not surprising, of course, when you consider the enormous impact the Corona crisis has had – and continues to have – in the sports industry. Then logically, our members look at how they should hedge better against financial risks and how they can increase their working capital.”

Billion-dollar business
FGHS has been around since 1950, and Dirk has been involved since 1995. Dirk: “Since the early 90s, sport is no longer a sidekick but big business. It’s a billion-dollar industry in which sports brands like Nike, Adidas, Puma, Under Armour, and Asics have grown into global brands. So, if you want to represent the interests of the sports industry well in all (inter)national organizations, you really have a full-time job. You have to take it seriously. I always say: I have a world-class job. Because sport appeals to everyone, it has a great ‘feel good’ factor. It is a positive, young, and energetic sector that is always on the move. I get energy from that myself.”

Hiring expertise
With a small team, FGHS as an organization can definitely be called lean and mean. Dirk: “You don’t need to have all the knowledge, skills, and specialists in-house, but you do need to know where to find them. We, therefore, hire expertise for practical services such as logistical support and business economics, and legal advice. Of course, these must be competent partners, such as Xolv, to which we as FGHS can confidently put our name to. Our members are very critical in that respect. And rightly so.”

‘You are not doing business with companies, but with people’

Dirk praises Xolv’s high level of commitment and illustrates it with an example. “Starting in March 2020 when corona really hit, we had meetings with our members every month. Often Xolv was present at these meetings. Not to sell anything, but to advise, explain things, share insights and answer questions from our members. They know the sports industry market, and they know better than anyone how to clearly explain complex issues such as credit insurance, factoring, and working capital increase. This has enabled our members to switch and act quickly. See, that’s the kind of thinking that helps us invest in our mutual collaboration,” says Dirk.