Complete signage for Mediamarkt stores
Elshout and MediaMarkt
In 1999, the German company MediaMarkt wants to establish itself in the Netherlands. At that time, Jaap Elshout owns the eponymous electronics store Mega Elshout in the
Oosterhof, the former Alexandrium. The then fifteen-year-old Sidney is employed in his father's advertising business, which at the time hand-painted promotions and price tags for Elshout. After five years, Sidney called it quits and started his own business. "I saw it right away, he's going to get it done," Elshout says. Elshout asks him to completely overhaul his store. From lettering, banners to illuminated signs. Signage was installed throughout the store. One of the first major assignments of the then 20-year-old entrepreneur Sidney. Elshout is approached by MediaMarkt, closes a deal and continues his career as CEO MediaMarkt Netherlands.
The first store in the Netherlands
In November 1999, MediaMarkt opened its first store - MediaMarkt The Corner - in Rotterdam center on Binnenwegplein. From Germany, the signage was arranged by a German sign agency. A few weeks before the opening, Elshout called Sidney: 'Sid, you have to come now.' 'If he said so, I did,' Sidney says. 'I immediately jumped in my car and drove there.' Once there, Elshout talks about a second store in Rotterdam, namely MediaMarkt Alexandrium. 'That store has to be done, those Germans don't do anything. You have to make sure that the store opens in four weeks and the signage has to be completely arranged.' Elshout knows Sidney from diapers; they were neighbors and he did business with his father. He begrudged Sidney this store, but he had to do his best. 'It was really hard work to make sure it was taken care of in a couple of weeks with all the Germans breathing down my neck. That was several weeks of stress,' Sidney continues his story. 'We were working 24/7 without sleep.' The store was fully equipped with signage and finished on time. 'All the MediaMarkt stores that came after that, Jaap awarded me.' From then on, Sidney has been with SIZO connected as a regular sign supplier.
If something needed to be arranged, we just arranged it
Signage beyond borders After the stores in the Netherlands, SIZO also looked after a number of stores in Belgium and Luxembourg. Ten years ago, former CEO MediaMarkt Netherlands/China Ton Wortel contacted Sidney. 'He called me and said; 'I have a challenge, are you up for something?' 'Again, I jumped right into the car and drove there,' Sidney says. 'Within a week I was on a plane to China with Patrick to find out if we could start doing signage for MediaMarkt stores there.'
Patrick Witkamp decided to leave for China in 2010 and live there for a while. Sidney: "Patrick ran things there. Every night at about 03.00 / 04.00 Dutch time we were in contact. Then we discussed the important points of the day. Once every few weeks I flew to China and we went through everything in detail. Everything had to be arranged from scratch. Patrick worked in China with a project manager, designer and his personal assistant. Everything was produced in China and largely assembled by the people there.
A number of mechanics were also flown from SIZO to China to help. 'We had a very good reputation in the Netherlands. If something had to be arranged, we simply arranged it. That's why we were also asked for the signage in China,' Sidney said.
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