Mango and Tendam have entrusted their cargo volume to Cross X Staff Iberia

Spanish fashion companies Mango and Tendam form a common procurement network for sea freight transport

Düsseldorf, December 13, 2018 – For a few weeks, the market leaders Mango and Tendam have entrusted their cargo volume to Cross X Staff Iberia. This saves them a lot of time and money.

The continuing crisis in global sea and container shipping continues to cause problems for the Mediterranean-based companies of Southern Europe. Faced with volatile freight rates and rising costs, trade and industrial companies are looking for low-cost solutions, which also guarantee a minimum of planning and calculation security. How this Herculean task can be successfully solved is shown by the Spanish fashion companies Tendam and Mango, who are taking a common path in their sea freight transports since this year. Both now entrust their cargo volumes to the Cross X Staff, a buying alliance founded by retail giants COOP of Switzerland and COLRUYT of Belgium with the aim to jointly respond to the challenges of the shipping and logistics industry. The organization bundles the transport volumes of all network partners, negotiates with the shipowners on their behalf and cares intensively about the organization of the supply chain - regardless of the economic size of the partner, the respective sector or the affiliation to trade or industry. In return, the members of the alliance contractually commit to bring in a designated transport volume to the network. Their height is staggered and linked to the respective contract period.

For Paco Fernandez, Transport Director of Mango, the cooperation, which began half a year ago, is an important step in a successful future. "In global competition, we are now under immense cost and price pressure. With our entry into the BCO network of Cross X Staff in March 2018, we have gained planning security and, as part of a strong alliance, are now able to negotiate better terms". For him, the bundling of cargo volumes in a purchasing network is an important strategic factor to effectively counter the rapid consolidation of the supplier base. "In this difficult situation, we need innovative concepts and partners with a high level of know-how, who are well versed in the market. We found both in Cross X Staff. "

Tendam is the new corporate brand for former Grupo Cortefiel, born in 1880 and the owner of Cortefiel, Pedro del Hierro, Springfield, Women ́secret and Fifty, present in 90 countries with more than 2000 points of sale and digital stores. For just a few weeks, the company relies on its cargo shipments to Cross X Staff Iberia. For David Soto, Tendam Import / Export Director, a third argument plays an important role in addition to cost savings and planning reliability. "As a network partner, we receive the individual advice and service we need to run our business successfully. These include transport solutions that are tailored to our needs”. Despite the contractual involvement in an alliance, Tendam still has enough leeway to fulfill its own interests. "We are part of a strong team, but we can still pursue our own entrepreneurial goals without restriction. This combination makes this alliance so valuable to us."

A collaboration that benefits both sides, says Sergio Marmol, Managing Director of Cross X Staff Iberia: "The Cross X Staff alliance members understood the need to incorporate new practices for their tender management and opted to build an alliance of European companies with interest in international transportation, benefiting from developments in e- sourcing, bundled volumes and access to market information; whilst mitigating their transport costs"

How valuable the Allianz is now for its members is shown by the current business development. After around 55,000 TEU this year, the Cross X Staff alliance anticipates a further increase in the volume of cargo moving through the network to 75,000 TEU in 2019.

About Cross X Staff AG

Cross X Staff AG was founded in October 2016 by the trading companies COOP Swiss and the Belgian Colruyt Group as the central contact and coordination point for a new international purchasing network. The company represents the interests of its clients by bundling the contractually guaranteed transport volumes of the network partners, conducting negotiations with shipping companies on their behalf and helping the network members establish their supply chains. The organization includes more than 50 network service providers in Europe and Asia. With Cross X Staff Asia Pacific Limited, it operates a second joint venture with a registered office in Hong Kong.

IMAGE: Paco Fernandez (Mango), Sergio Marmol (Cross X Staff Iberia) and David Soto (Tendam).