Arndt Brockmann exits Esprit Germany, Dieter Messner named new general manager
Arndt Brockmann is to leave his role as general manager of Esprit Germany after four years with the company. He has been responsible for the entire German retail and wholesale business since June 2013, and will hand over the role to Dieter Messner on 10 March.
The decision was a mutual agreement with the clothing company. The handover will begin by the end of the week.
Dieter Messner is to become the brand’s new general manager for Germany, after having served as Esprit’s head of the retail and wholesale divisions for Europe (excluding Germany), the Middle East and the Americas since 2015. Germany is the largest market for the company.
Brockmann joined the retailer after periods at rivals S.Oliver Group and Spanish retail giant Inditex, where he served since 2005 and became responsible for the German market from 2007 to early 2011. Under his management, the group established its brands Zara and Massimo Dutti within Germany.
He has worked with some of the industry’s most well-known brands, including Puma - where he acted as retail manager for two years – and Strenesse AG. His career began in 1997 in the marketing and franchising department at Hugo Boss.
Esprit has continued to slip deeper into the red in the past few years. To reverse the downward trend and build on its old success, the company is working on two fronts. On one hand, the retailer is investing in product and brand image to drive sales, and on the other it has led a cost-cutting programme which has seen several unprofitable shops close down.
The strategy helped the retailer post better results in February. The company, listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, said profit for the year to the end of December increased to HK$61 billion (7.4 billion euros) as a result of a tax credit. While revenue fell by almost 11% to HK$8.3 billion (1.01 billion euros) due to store closures, sales were slightly up on a like-for-like basis. Staff costs and occupancy costs declined significantly, according to an unaudited report.
Esprit has recently closed a number of unprofitable stores, refreshed its design, improved distribution and accelerated launch times for its collections. The turnaround plan also includes initiatives to strengthen the online business.
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