At the end of April, one of our business partners, Hama, invited us on a spring business trip to the German town of Monheim, where the entire company was founded and where its headquarters and main distribution center for all of Europe are located. Hama has a truly wide range of products, but we were primarily interested in the presentation of school bags and backpacks.
A little bit of history
The traditional assortment of Hama as a manufacturer is photo accessories. With this intention, Martin Hanke founded the company in Dresden in 1923. Due to World War II, Hama was forced to relocate from the bombed-out Dresden to the small town of Monheim, where it is still based today. Since then, Hama has expanded its scope and grown to include other commodities. Today, it sells multimedia and mobile accessories, offers memory cards, has managed to build a production plant for frames and Clip-fix products in Syrovice near Brno, and of course, specializes in the production and distribution of school supplies in the form of school bags, backpacks, pencil cases, etc.
Today, Hama has representation in 17 countries, including the Czech Republic. And it is the Czech branch that is based in Brno, from where we were sent invitations to the Hama Trade Show, which took place in the aforementioned German town of Monheim.
Three pleasant days
If I exclude the eight-hour journey (with breaks) that we took by bus on the first and last day, then it can be said that this entire business trip was truly successful. I can say with certainty that the great organization on the part of the Czech Hama partner and the engaging program directly in Monheim had a fundamental influence on this. In the small town of five thousand, the parent company introduced us to everything that stands behind the success of this company. In short, we can mention the modern and fully automated warehouse for 50,000 pallets. Furthermore, modern administrative buildings where around 1,500 employees work. A highlight was also the ranch that Hama owns, where the opening, let's say introductory, party took place.
However, the main reason for our visit was Hama school bags and backpacks. We spent the entire second day in the main premises of the German company and were literally showered with information about current models and new products that Hama will release to the market as early as January 2017.
News in the Hama assortment
Hot news just brought from the factory was presented to us by future first-graders. The manufacturers' effort was to show that there is the right school bag for every child, whether they are small, petite, tall, or chubby. A correctly chosen school bag fits perfectly on the shoulders and follows the back even during children's play.
In our online offer, you can already find the older siblings of the presented novelties. This is the popular, affordable, and above all lightweight school bag Baggymax. Even though the manufacturers do not exceed the 950 grams that are comfortable for children's backs, the school bag is designed to meet basic needs. Nothing is missing and nothing is extra. :)
Among the more sophisticated pieces are the Step by Step or Flexline series. These school bags and backpacks are not as light, as they have more features and have an extra loop or compartment. For example, the insulated front pocket of the backpack protects the snack from getting stuffy, even when the sun is shining on the bag. Adjustable shoulder straps do not have to dangle on the ground for children when they put the bag down, but they can simply attach them at the top near the shoulders. New models and color variants will appear in all stores, including our e-shop, at the beginning of 2017.
The last two collections we viewed in detail are the AllOut series and many models of the Coocazoo brand. These backpacks are intended for older schoolchildren, which is why they are more spacious, have higher load capacities, and the design corresponds to the requirements of today's teenagers.
Looking forward to next year
We ended the entire visit on the third day at a Munich store that specializes in sales and consulting in the field of school backpacks and bags. Here we had the opportunity to see live not only the brands and collections from the Hama workshop but also the competing assortment. During our farewell, the German Hama representatives tentatively invited us to the next year of this successful event, so I firmly believe that we will see each other again in a year and a day, Monheim!
