sell to, how they service the territory and the hours they work, which means that they are principally their own boss, That, Andy explains, also benefits the retailer because: “as a selfemployed agent, you have to go the extra mile for your customers as they are your primary source of income.” Andy first became an agent in the late 1990s, when he left his family business and went down the self-employed route, contracted first to Dutch company Modeca – then a new name to the UK. Andy successfully got the brand off the ground. “Backing the wrong business can be damaging Sole Agent to your reputation, as I This is what Andy has found out later with a found to be the most company called Intuzuri,” he interesting sales channel: says. “But as a result of the the sole agent. “I found it success I met with Modeca, to be enjoyable and more I was head-hunted by rewarding, with benefits to Pronovias. The four years I both agent and retailer. spent as an agent with them “In a nutshell, a sole was a fantastic experience, agent is appointed by a company to exclusively sell and one that still stands me products on their behalf in a in good stead today. “For me the bridal defined territory. industry is one of the most “Working on a set creative industries within percentage of sales, the the fashion sector. Needless agent receives payments from the principal company to say, I still have the same boundless enthusiasm and by way of commission, passion for bridalwear as I usually ranging from 10 did when I first started.” percent to 15 percent. Twenty years on, Andy The agent does not have is still a self-employed the responsibilities of agent and now represents distribution, invoicing or what he believes are two debt collection, and is only of the most exciting brands involved with sales and account management within to enter the UK market in recent years – Whiteday the designated territory.” by José Maria Peiró from In general, sales agents Barcelona and Nicole Spose have the potential to earn from Italy. “I believe that more money – usually earnings are uncapped and whatever your role in sales, relate to how hard the agent always remember that people buy from people works. Agents have more – and always endeavor to autonomy and can make meet your clients’ needs.” decisions about who they Distributor/Agent A distributor is essentially an independent sales contractor who enters into a distributor agreement, and buys products in bulk at a reduced margin from a manufacturer (usually overseas). Then they will sell them on to their own customers in their domestic market. This can involve the distributor in considerable expense – in stock-holding, product dispatch, paperwork and credit control, but the reduced purchasing price enables them to add their own margin to cover costs and make a profit.
Andy’s excitement about the two new collections he is representing got us keen to know more. The resulting Wedding Trader Exclusive with José Maria Peiró (see page 76) provides insight into this beautiful Barcelona brand that Andy handles across the UK and Ireland. We’ll also be in conversation shortly with the team behind Italy’s famous Nicole Sposa collection of collections, which Andy represents in the south of England. Contact Andy on: +44 (0)7540 323418 andrewmarkmurray@gmail.com J U N E 2 0 1 8 ♦ W E D D I N G T R A D E R ♦ 49