Friday June 25th 2021
Edding boss Per Ledermann
“We’re in a sexy area!”
Every German knows the scribes from Edding. But the office goods manufacturer stands for much more: sprays, invisible QR codes and tattoos, for example. Company boss Ledermann speaks about Edding’s crisis in the Corona crisis and explains why the company is now offering nail polish.
In 2020, the majority of people were sitting at home, the offices were empty. A hard blow for the stationery manufacturer Edding, which is best known for its whiteboard markers: The company made 125.7 million euros in sales, 16 million less than in the previous year. “Of course this is a huge challenge for all of us in the short term,” says Per Ledermann in the podcast “The Zero Hour” The managing director of Edding and the son of the co-founder Volker Ledermann is convinced “that the classic hardware sales for the office will continue to be lower” and that “the world will never look like it did before the crisis”.
Nevertheless, in Ledermann’s opinion, this change can also be seen as an opportunity: “We have also worked for decades in an industry that was rather dusty and boring. Now we’re talking about the future of work. And how cool is that actually, in such a sector sexy area to be? ” What is meant is: Edding has long tried beyond pencils and tried it with completely different products. Among other things, a subsidiary of the company has developed an ink that can contain digital information. These can then be read by a smartphone.
Edding is also present in other areas, some of which are unexpected – such as nail polish or tattoo ink. This expansion is the work of Ledermann, who, since taking over as boss in 2004, has been trying to lead Edding step by step away from the office supplies manufacturer and towards new products. This strategy has helped the company weather the crisis. The products for creative design for the home, for example, were in high demand during the pandemic, “because people didn’t go on vacation and instead just spent the time at home,” says Ledermann.
Also listen to the new episode of “Zero Hour”:
- Whether the Edding employees were also allowed to work from home
- Whether Ledermann’s father has been involved in the business since the takeover
- What new products Edding is planning
You can find all episodes directly at Audio Now, Apple or Spotify or via Google.
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