Only about three months ago, Marcus Diekmann was appointed managing director of International Brands Company KG (IBC), a subsidiary of the Düsseldorf fashion retailer Peek & Cloppenburg. In this role, he was supposed to develop the own brands in the field of digital business and marketing into independent brands.
Diekmann has now ended this form of cooperation again because “P&C does not want to take any additional risks in the current uncertain situation,” says Marcus Diekmann exclusively in an interview with FashionUnited. “I understand this entrepreneurial decision in view of the current situation, after all nobody knows whether we won’t have a lockdown again in the fall. But with this decision, there is no longer a business case for me at P&C to continue working there as a managing director.”
Contrary to what some media are currently portraying, the termination of the cooperation is the result of a business decision by P&C and not the result of internal quarrels or a culture clash. “In my opinion, what some media have made of it is completely exaggerated,” continued Diekmann. Because the termination of the original cooperation does not mean that P&C and Diekmann are now going their separate ways. On the contrary.
Podcasts for Review: collaboration continues
The cooperation is to be continued as early as the end of April, albeit in a different form. Diekmann: “We will start a joint podcast for the Review brand.” The Review brand stands for “radical optimism”, and the podcast should have people who bring this optimism into life through their actions. These can be people who have become active in the areas of diversity, climate change or refugee aid, for example, and who set an example that optimism can make a difference. Relevant channels for this are YouTube, Instagram and Tiktok, according to Diekmann, where the podcasts should run live and also be available later. Diekmann will conduct the interviews himself. “This is not classic influencer marketing, where influencers are booked to present products. It’s much more radical and very authentic with a clear message,” explains Diekmann.
P&C: Private label strategy remains under the P&C umbrella brand
P&C Düsseldorf has now also commented on Diekmann’s departure and the associated press releases. In a press release today it says: “Following this analysis, it was jointly decided to further promote the exclusive brands from within the company under the umbrella brand Peek & Cloppenburg and to use the existing resources of the group of companies in the areas of sales, marketing and digital. Marcus Diekmann will support the company for the Review and Jake*s brands until at least the end of September. The Peek & Cloppenburg group of companies is using all potential synergies and available resources in order to be able to push ahead with all future-oriented initiatives despite the severe drop in sales and the difficult economic situation resulting from the corona pandemic”.