Key Account Manager Portugal/Spain/Italy

KidKraft makes and sells toys and children’s furniture. Their products range from wooden trains to jigsaws to toy kitchens and dollhouses. Their European headquarters are based in the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. From his desk the recently hired Commercial Director Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Martijn de Bruijn has a view of the finish line. That is exemplary for KidKraft’s ambition: with recent investments from private equity party MidOcean Partners the company wants to triple its revenue over the years to come.

Working at KidKraft

De Bruijn started as Commercial Director EMEA at KidKraft in March 2016. Before that he was Sales Director at Red Bull and he worked in several commercial positions at P&G. He wanted to work for KidKraft because there are so many opportunities up for grabs there.

“KidKraft was founded in 1968 and it hasn’t been working on marketing so far. However, we have always shown a steady growth. The growth potential is huge should we invest in brand identity and active portfolio management. There are also opportunities in store for us once we attract new retailers and online partners.” – Martijn de Bruijn, Commercial Director

And that is exactly what he is going to do. The brand new Commercial Director was hired as an experienced professional who is going to professionalize KidKraft and reap the rewards from its growth potential. One example: from sales figures it appears a large portion of the annual turnover is made during the holiday season- close to Sinterklaas and Christmas. That makes sense, because KidKraft’s products mainly consist of more expensive toys which make very suitable gifts for the holidays. De Bruin wants to focus on portfolio management, diversification of their product range and an active pricing and PR strategy, in order to create improved sales figures throughout the year. Together with a consulting firm he also looks into opportunities in marketing, new sales channels and markets and expansion of the KidKraft team in Amsterdam. There’s a new vibe at KidKraft: a great time to jump on board and make it to the finish line together.

Sales Team Europe

The commercial ambitions at KidKraft are pretty impressive. The Sales Team Europe-managed by Marc Vorstermans- play a big part in the development and implementation of Commercial Director EMEA Martijn de Bruijn’s plans. The team consists of five international Key Account Managers, which are each responsible for their own market: Benelux/Scandinavia, Austria/Switzerland, Portugal/Spain/Italy, France and the United Kingdom. Their portfolio consists of both the online retailers (especially toy shops) as well as online web shops. At present there is a job opening for the position of International Key Account Manager Portugal/Spain/Italy.

Vacancy for International Key Account Manager Portugal/Spain/Italy

The International Key Account Manager (KAM) Portugal/Spain/Italy is an experienced professional who is going to develop and expand KidKraft’s portfolio in the region. Its goal is to make this region one of the biggest markets for KidKraft.

“We want to create more focus. That means we need a strong Key Account Management. So we don’t just want to create the biggest turnover, but we really want to get on board with the client. Consult with them and report back to them so that we can reshape our range or our services to fit in with their needs.” – Martijn de Bruijn

The KAM is a very versatile position. They combine a strategic long term vision with pragmatic action and a lot of attention for relation management. They are an example for the other members of the Sales Team and implement thorough key account management at KidKraft. For instance: making sure supply matches what the local consumer wants. This company of American origin often has very colorful products, whereas the Spanish consumer prefers neutral tones. By working closely with its customers, KidKraft is able to tap into what they want. Another example: a KidKraft dollhouse often reaches up to two square meters on a shop floor. Not all retailers have the space to accommodate this. An omni-channel approach with a smaller dollhouse in the shop alongside a call-to-action to have its larger products on display online could be the right sales strategy. The KAM is going to develop and implement such strategies, together with Marc Vorstermans and Martijn de Bruijn.