End-of-Year Message from Rogier Uivel
Dear Exhibitor,
What a year this has been! I can confidently say that of the last six years in which I’ve been active with TICA and working alongside you, 2024 has been a particularly unique year. The entire year revolved around the question: What happens after the COVID years? Can we keep the revenue on track, or will we face massive declines? After all, COVID was exceptional, but a world that is on fire does not make business any easier.
2024 has been the year in which we’ve all been challenged to stay alert, 24/7. I feel that now, even with the holidays approaching. But there are also positive developments to celebrate. The opening of our locations in Ede and Brussels is a perfect example of our persistence. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Together with you, we’ve achieved this. It hasn’t always been easy – sometimes with sharp edges – but ultimately with the same goal in mind: to keep our businesses on track and ensure there is work for our employees.
What does 2025 bring?
2025 is just around the corner, and it promises to be another challenging year. We are seeing geopolitical developments, such as the potential return of Trump, which may either stabilize the global stage or not. At the same time, we face our own challenges. The path PW Markets has taken to open locations in multiple countries presents a strategic challenge that we want to address together with you. It’s not just about profit, although that’s always a nice bonus. It’s about a strategic interest: we need to protect and define our markets together.
We stand together against large competitors like TEMU, Shein, and established retail giants like Action. These players have no real interest in working with us, even though I know some of you earn from these companies, but the reality is: “eat or be eaten.” Together, we must take control of the supply chain within our segment.
This also means that we, as TICA, embrace initiatives from places like India, even though it may sometimes be hard to understand. Under the motto “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer,” we must ensure that we, as marketplaces, serve the market in such a way that these players must work with us. We cannot give them an option to skip us! Especially not in our mid-to-high segment.
In short, we must continue building a qualitative gateway to microdistribution, which we will continue to expand together. You can do this by focusing on innovation, beautiful products, and mid-to-high segment collections. We will facilitate this with locations, online platforms, social media, and a customer journey that ensures TICA members continue to see us as a necessity and an inspiration point for starting their business. It is up to you to catch the bigger fish and serve them from your wholesale channels. That’s where the win-win lies.
I am convinced that in 2025, we can create a wonderful continuation of our collaboration. That we will continue to seek each other out, understand each other, and strengthen each other. In a world where losing connection is the greatest threat, we must keep seeking and engaging with each other on the micro scale on which we operate. Sometimes with immediate results, sometimes not – but always with a healthy relationship as the foundation.
I wish you health, prosperity, and a loving 2025. Here’s to a successful new year together!
Kind regards,
Rogier Uivel