BDI, PART OF HUDSON GROUP, EXTENDS NIKE REPRESENTATION IN AFRICA FOR AN ADDITIONAL 5 YEARS AND STRENGTHENS MALTA AS INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS HUB
BDI, which is part of Hudson Group, has extended its contract to represent super brand NIKE in 30 African countries until 2023. Together with this, it will extend its current warehouse facilities as to continue developing its logistics hub in Malta, through which it serves Africa.
Through BDI, NIKE has a strong presence in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia and is also present in sub-Saharan countries including Nigeria, Angola, Ghana and Ivory Coast.
This extension was celebrated during a Press Conference as well as a ‘NIKE – Think Sport’ themed staff event at Hugo’s Infinity, St Julian’s, Malta. Present for the press conference were Sean Harris, NIKE General Manager for EMEA (Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa) Distributors, Wouter Van Olm, NIKE Regional Sales Manager Africa, NIKE AMEA, Burak Dolanay, Sales Director for CEE NIKE distributors, BDI and Hudson Group CEO Alfie Borg, as well as the broader cross-functional NIKE team, BDI and Hudson Group Directors and Management.
Alfie Borg, CEO of Hudson Group explained how the first pair of Nikes sold in Malta was in 1987. “following this, in 2004, we opened our first NIKE store in Libya and since then the NIKE brand has slowly but surely, entrusted us to manage NIKE’s representation in more African countries”. Mr Borg added that today, through its head office in Malta as well as its subsidiary companies in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, BDI manages most of Africa as far as sales, marketing and distribution go.
A couple of years ago, BDI was entrusted to manage a NIKE distribution centre in Malta which services the African market. “Since then, as orders increased, we have outgrown the current space available. Therefore, in 2018/2019, with the help of Malta Enterprise, we will be building a state-of-the-art new NIKE distribution centre, that will enable us to cope with the African continent’s growing demand for at least the next decade” explained Mr Borg.
Talking about the every day operation, Mr Borg explain how the Group seeks to mirror NIKE’s values, in terms of performance, authenticity, innovation, and sustainability, “We embody these values in all aspects of our operations, and this includes selecting the right HR and cultivating a diverse and energetic global team” Mr Borg concluded.
Sean Harris, NIKE General Manager for EMEA Distributors spoke about the positive relations that exist between BDI as well as NIKE. “BDI professionalism as well as its ability to act with speed and efficiency have been instrumental in increasing the presence of NIKE in Africa”.
Wouter Van Olm, NIKE Regional Sales Manager Africa, NIKE EMEA, explained how Malta’s strategic geographic location as well as BDI’s strong reach have increased NIKE’s distribution within a challenging continent. “The comprehensive knowledge of operating within the African region, as well as the Group’s tenacity and ability to employ the right Marketing strategy, understand cultural sensitivities and select the right partners within the different territories, has helped NIKE to perform positively in the African region”
