Westlife VP on the integration of Matix

Westlife Distribution, the new owners of apparel brand Matix, bought the brand in early July and has already begun shipping fall product.

Westlife is best known for its 686 snow outerwear brand. It bought Matix from new DVS owners Sequential Brands Group, which bought DVS and Matix at a bankruptcy auction.

Sequential then sold Matix to Westlife, including the fall inventory.

We asked Jono Zacharias, VP of Global Sales at Westlife, for an update on how the integration is going.

How are retailers reacting to Westlife acquiring Matix?

Retailers around the world are viewing the Westlife acquisition of Matix as a positive one, especially the retailers that currently work with our other brand, 686.

We are dedicated to fixing the issues that have occurred in the past and thankfully, we have a great reputation when it comes our retailers. We are going to bring Matix back to a strong position in the market both with our sales and marketing initiatives.

Of course, there are retailers that we have not dealt with in the past that are understandably a bit more hesitant, and we have been dedicating time to making sure those accounts understand the move and are reassured as much as possible. However, actions speak louder than words, particularly in a case like this and we totally understand that.

How challenging has it been to integrate Matix into the Westlife infrastructure in time to deliver fall product?

Our global operations team has literally been working around the clock to make the Matix transition onto all the current Westlife operating platforms as smooth as possible.

As always, there have been a few issues here and there in regards to previous systems or updates that were needed, but we have worked through them quickly and diligently and we are coming to a point where we are a bit more comfortable.

The set-up in Europe has been the most difficult due to the older system that was in place and that will definitely take a bit more time to restructure and organize. For example, we have had to purchase the inventory assets of Podium Europe to insure Matix deliveries to our accounts that are expecting product.

Were there changes to the sales force?

In order to continue to gain the confidence of the current and former Matix retailers, we have the Matix sales force out in full swing showing spring and spreading the good news about the new structure and transition process. There were a few cases where the sales reps did not make the move to the Westlife program, so in those areas, we have already hired new sales agents who are out in the field and are stoked on the opportunity.

With all those changes, how is the fall shipping going?

We just started to get orders out again this week and by next week, we will be at full shipping capacity.

We are currently showing spring and so far, the line has been getting an excellent response. The Matix designers did a great job and considering the pressure everyone was under, we haven’t missed a beat. We will be showing at AGENDA LBC next week in booth C34 and also at Surf Expo.

It seems like the previous team bent over backwards to make sure whoever owned Matix next would be able to hit the ground running. Is that true?

The previous team has been nothing but a great help in the transition. They should all be commended by their actions in a very tough situation.

Anything else you want to add?

I want to say thank you for the entire Matix team that made the transition over to Westlife and also to our existing operations, marketing and sales teams. The past few months haven’t been easy to say the least but every single one of them contributes greatly and they are all very passionate about the success of the brand. I’m confident you will see some great things from us in the future.